R and R
by JesFriendMagnet
Summary: When the Titans take their first vacation after years of hard work, hilarity ensues and romances blossom. Unbeknownst to our heroes, however, a bigger scheme slowly unfolds. (Developing Rob/Star and BB/Rae, with tidbits of Cy/Jinx; lots of fun character development!) Currently in-progress. ;)
1. Disappointment

**Author's Note**: This is a brand new re-write of my 2005 story,_ One Crazy VK_. I decided to rewrite it because (a) the fic's lack of direction, fluffyness, and OOC-dialogue disgusted me, (b) the reminder of the nonexistent writing skills I had when I was 13 humiliated me, and (c) I always wanted to continue/conclude it, but it was too old for me to simply jump back in and pretend it wasn't seven years overdue. I'm trying to keep this story light-hearted, fun, authentic of its predecessor, and enjoyable to read. I welcome you to review with anything your heart desires - including suggestions! :) I plan on eventual or gradual Rob/Star, BB/Rae, and Cy/Jinx.

**Disclaimer**: Just in case any of you are silly enough to believe I might own some of the rights to the Teen Titans, you're wrong.

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**Chapter 1 – Disappointment**

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"DUUUUUUUUDDDEE! This is gonna be _SO SICK!_"

The green-skinned seventeen-year old hurled his arms out to his sides with overwhelming excitement in the back of his best friend's hotrod. He grinned madly and began bouncing up and down wildly in his seat, brimming with anticipation. As he did so, his arms morphed into two pairs of tentacles, which he happily outstretched and continued to flail with merriment. "Oh MAN, I CAN'T WAAAAAAIT!"

To his left, the rusted amber princess began to protest. "Um, Beast Bo_-ooof!_" To her dismay, two green tentacles pressed her into face into one of the car's windows before she could properly express her discomfort. For a few moments, she struggled with the boy's dancing limbs as he haphazardly continued to fling them around the back seat. The passive girl's conventional calm soon disintegrated into ashes as her eyes and hands glowed a bright and dangerous harlequin. "Excuse me! Friend Beas_-OOOF!_" Beast Boy paid no mind to her menacing tone, tentacles still thrashing joyously throughout the rear of the T-car. He'd never know how just lucky he was that Starfire was a pacifist and did not wish him any harm.

The young men in the front seats of vehicle cackled loudly, both amused by the changeling's boundless glee and awaiting his unavoidable and oncoming doom.

To his immediate right sat another girl, much more shadowy, sporting an infamously midnight cloak and choleric eyes. She seethed in her place, shrinking towards the window to avoid Beast Boy's tentacles and maintain control over her sweltering temper, but her attempts were to no avail. She gritted her teeth and exhaled slowly. "What are you, like, _five?_"

"Give or take a few," crowed their masked leader, sitting up front in the passenger seat.

As her teammate's rampant tentacles gaily and carelessly squished her petite body against the leathered door, hushed snarls escaped her throat and her eyes began to radiate a perilous and frosty white from underneath her hood. She was already drained. Her fuse blew notoriously fast when it came to the changeling, and she felt she'd finally dealt with a sufficient dose of his nonsense for one car ride. It was truly unfortunate; she'd been doing _so_well lately with her anger management meditation. "Azarath Metrion…"

Eerie surges of ink-colored magic materialized and ambled above the green teen's unsuspecting head, slowing and mutedly working their way around his volatile body. They hovered in the air for a moment, silent and critical, preparing for the ideal instant to strike. Beast Boy's tentacles began to fall back to his sides as his thrilled giggles leisurely simmered down, and finally he opened one of his eyes. Noticing the sorceress's spell, his pupils grew wide and alarmed. "_Oh,_shit…"

"ZINTHOS!"

The changeling's limbs were instantly bound and constricted within the girl's black magic. The front seat roared and exploded with laughter. Her grip was tight and aggravated, and Beast Boy squirmed restlessly. "Ugh, Raven, what the hell's your _problem?_"

Raven stretched a bit in her seat, openly enjoying the newfound spaciousness within the back of the T-car. The Tamaranean princess let out a sigh of relief in the seat opposite of Beast Boy, joining in Raven's fresh content. The cloaked girl made no effort to look at Beast Boy. She could already feel his frustration at her attempt to limit his movement. "You're my problem," she huffed, pulling her hood off of her face for the first time all morning. Upon comforting herself in her seat, she stared out the window and offered minor justification for her deed. "I distinctly remember you promising you'd behave yourself today if I said I'd accompany you all to the movies."

The changeling's eyes expressed irritation, bewilderment, and an ounce of hurt. He pouted, "Awe, c'mon, Rae! I was only having fun. I'm just excited."

Wiping a comic tear from his eye, the driver of the vehicle spoke up. He'd been laughing boisterously since Raven had expelled her enchantment. "Man, we know, and no one's tryna rain on your parade," offered the half-man, half-robot. "But you DID say you'd be cool, and you're kinda _nastifyin'_the T-Car with your squid slime." Beast Boy's pouting visage grew more distinct so that Cyborg could notice it in the rear-view mirror. "Lighten up, BB. It's all good and fun until you piss off Raven and she slices one of your arms off."

Beast Boy knew that Cyborg was right – that he'd unintentionally provoked the hostility – but he couldn't help but continue to stubbornly sulk at his teammates.

"Oh, Beast Boy," the princess playfully pleaded next to him as she clasped her hands together and batted her eyelashes. "You know that we did not mean to cause ruin to your fun. Please try to understand Raven's actions." He heaved. The green teen couldn't hold a grudge against Starfire's big and innocent eyes; they were luminous and charming, too closely resembling spring's harmony.

"Oh, _fine_. I'm sorry, Star. I didn't realize." Though his confession was short, his tone of voice rang genuinely compassionate. Starfire smiled at him delightfully, obviously satisfied with the apology. She and Beast Boy then turned their heads to the empath on his right. Raven held the changeling's gaze and her eyebrows arched. She was waiting. Beast Boy huffed once more and grinned in defeat. "You too, Rae." As the phrase escaped his jaws, the sorceress's black magic released him and congregated with the emerging affectionate smile on his face.

"Apology accepted", she replied modestly, turning towards the window again. It was raining warmly outside on this July afternoon, just as it had each day so far this week. Though the others complained quite often of it, Raven basked in the stormy weather. A near-invisible look of tranquility washed over her concrete complexion, taking in the sight of the dancing sky. Beast Boy enjoyed it briefly as he caught her expression, and then addressed the rest of the car.

"Are you guys as TOTALLY PUMPED as I am?" He outstretched his now-human arms once more, though this time with a bit more caution, as he nearly brushed the females to his right and left. "I've been waiting for this flick to come out for _so long!_"

"Totally, man!" boomed his best friend with sincerity. "_Blood Suckers of the Earth _is gonna be to _die _for."

Raven rolled her eyes at the pun. "No," she deadpanned. Her remark was disregarded.

"Ahhhh!" he screeched joyfully. "I've been waiting _forever_for this and I can't believe it's finally here!" The changeling's enthusiasm was once again getting the better of him as his arms transformed into wings and flapped excitedly. Feathers and his squeals engulfed the back seat. Starfire now smiled at her friend's delight; Raven foamed with ire.

"And it's been in production for quite a few years," agreed Robin as his licorice hair fell scrappily in front of the corners of his mask. "It's bound to be seriously good."

Though it had been almost two action-packed years since their encounters with the Brotherhood of Evil, the Titans had perceptibly not sported much change. Cyborg had visibly not altered in the slightest. Starfire donned the same plum and silver costume that she always had, though her scarlet hair now fell a foot longer. Raven's cloak, leotard, and gemstone belt also had not changed as time had passed. Her hair too had grown, and now fell an inch or two longer than she used to keep it, though the cut remained virtually no different. Beast Boy's figure and face had filled out handsomely as he grew older, and he had outgrown his Doom Patrol costume… But in proper Beast Boy fashion, he'd procrastinated the much-needed alterations and pushed them off for later. Though Robin's appearance had changed more than each of the other Titans' – he let his once-spiky obsidian hair grow and relax, and now wore a classic red and black getup – his uniform and exterior remained essentially notorious, complete with an emblematic 'R', mask, utility belt, and cape.

The major changes that the Titans had undergone had in fact been much more subtle.

Cyborg was as spunky, mischievous, and fun-loving as ever. He'd recently made peace with his past and the accident that converted half of his body into machine, and now embraced each piece of himself quite proudly. He had also grown to be reliably innovative, capable, and cunning. At twenty years old, he was a technological wizard, eternally upgrading the Titans' gadgets, accessories, and home, and even often outsourced some of his work to S.T.A.R. labs. His input as eldest was greatly valued by the team, and his potential and competence were not lost on Robin. Cyborg was always second-in-charge, and gladly alleviated Robin from the pressures and responsibilities of Team Leader whenever he could. He was an invaluable and priceless asset to the team, and damn proud of it.

Eighteen-year old Starfire of Tamaran was perhaps the greatest warrior to have ever graced the planet. As she grew older, she learned to master her emotions – the driving fuel for her superhuman strength, invulnerability, starbolts, and flight – and had perfected her hand-to-hand fighting techniques, allowing the princess's power to mature as elite and unmatched. The mastering of her emotions and insecurities led to great satisfaction for the princess on different levels. Of course, she still struggled to grasp, appreciate, and utilize many Earthly customs and idioms – much at the enjoyment of her friends – but she was no longer the overly-sensitive and naïve girl that fell to Earth a few years prior. She was no longer _raw_. Though still youthful, optimistic, peaceful, and ethically obstinate, Starfire had grown to be an understanding, determined, and empowered young woman. She often served as a role model for girls all across the globe.

Raven had made considerable progress in taming and expressing her emotions. By now, she trusted her friends with every fiber of her being, and allowed herself to open up more in their company. Her knowledge of the arcane arts progressed rapidly; beyond a new variety of spells and mastery of her abilities, her empathic powers were always primed and could be used to read or manipulate the feelings of others. She had to meditate unremittingly to keep her outbursts in remission, but it was worth it; she was finally able to _feel_without disastrous consequences. Though, admittedly, she'd grown accustomed to expressing the bare minimum when it came to anything emotional. As she entered her eighteenth year of life, she tried to practice patience on a regular basis. In fact, until this afternoon's magical constraint, she had not aggressively used her powers against Beast Boy in months.

Beast Boy's time after defeating the Brotherhood of Evil had been spent honing his transformation abilities and maturing… somewhat. He could now morph into all sorts of real and mythical creatures, communicate while in these transformations, and even morph his body partially if he so desired. He was also finally past the majority of his pubescent years, and just as his body matured and filled out, so did his personality. He remained the same fun-loving jokester and prankster that everyone (sort of) adored, but he gained a much deeper understanding of the boundaries between appropriate and over-the-line. Because of this, his relationships with his fellow Titan flourished, and even Robin and Raven seemed to value and welcome his presence and humor! Thankfully, as he matured and learned to deal with growing up, the changeling had not experienced many issues in recent years regarding his primal aggression, 'The Beast'.

Robin's changes proved to make him an even greater leader for the Titans. His obsession with Slade had finally dissipated, and because of this, the nineteen-year old finally learned how to unwind. He allowed himself to do more than merely train and exercise, and the fulfillment in his life actually sharpened his acrobatics, battle tactics, and fighting skills in striking ways. Robin had learned to be open-minded and caring, especially in regards to his friends. He was still working on his difficulty expressing emotion – which had actually caused a 'break' in his relationship with Starfire a few months ago – but he was still trying nonetheless.

"_Good?!_" Beast Boy spewed out incredulously and lunged in between the front seats, "What do you mean GOOD?" The T-Car swerved and each of the other Titans' faces grew bug-eyed with fear, realizing the imminent danger of crashing. "This movie is going to be FREAKING FANTASTIC. The trailer actually guarantees that we'll leave cinema with pee-stained pants! I plan on watching it SIX times."

"Fantastic mental image," scoffed Raven, still splitting feathers.

"Man, you're getting me _SO_souped for this," Cy hooted from behind the wheel. All of the males in the vehicle had seen the previous two installments in the movie trilogy and their excitement deepened as they approached their destination.

Starfire blinked in confusion. "Friends, please, I wish to share your enthusiasm! What is this film about? The title suggests some sort of large-toothed monsters that… devour the planet?"

A small but definitive smirk emerged in the corner of the empath's lips. She mocked, "No, Starfire. I think you're confusing the movie with Beast Boy."

The men in the front of the car sneered, the changeling crossed his arms with contempt, and the Tamaranean's puzzlement deepened.

"Hey!" he yelled in offense, "I'm a vegetarian!"

"_Pfft_, so what?" chimed Cyborg, interjecting himself. "You still eat like there's no tomorrow."

The occupants of the T-Car laughed vigorously as Beast Boy crossed his arms once more in offense and defiance. He stuck his nose in the air. "You all suck."

To the dismay of Robin and Starfire, the bickering between the changeling, the cyborg, and the empath continued for the remainder of the trip. Their words were colorful and playfully distasteful, and only once did Raven get so upset that her powers caused a spark to shatter one of the side mirrors of the T-Car. It seemed that Cyborg learned the hard way to never to repeat misogynistic comments regarding her 'panties in a knot' or her 'PMS making her unreasonable', even in an entirely light-hearted manner, ever again.

* * *

When the Teen Titans finally made it to the movie theater, they eagerly hopped out of the vehicle and dashed, with the exception of the sorceress, up towards cinema, despite the sky's timberwolf hue and rather heavy downpour. The area was vacant, and the lights inside were dimmed. Robin was the first to arrive up the front steps, and ran face-first into the automatic doors of the cinema, which had apparently been turned off. Starfire made it there next, and upon seeing Robin's disgruntled face, shot several starbolts at the hefty glass doors. As they shattered, she floated above them triumphantly. "Come, friends! Our film awaits us!"

In the form of a fox, Beast Boy scurried up to the front doors – or the remnants of them – with Cyborg in toe. Robin and Cyborg glanced at one-another and shared a look of heartbreak and despair, and as the changeling transformed back into his human figure, his face mirrored theirs. The princess noticed the change in the demeanor of her friends swiftly, and her gleaming chartreuse eyes suddenly shared in their pain confusedly. Just a moment ago, they'd all been so excited!

"Have I done something wrong?" she gasped.

"No, Star," Robin sighed, making direct eye contact with the girl. It was something he did not often do these days until the moment fittingly called for it. Stafire could see that his masked eyes expressed deep disappointment. Robin looked down at his feet, then noticing the rubble of wall and glass surrounding them, and amended his reply. "Well… Yeah, you kind of put the theater in disrepair… But you didn't upset us."

As this phrase rolled off his tongue, Raven made her way up the stairs. "So… This place looks closed."

Starfire gasped and lowered herself onto the ground amongst her friends. "Oh, this most unpleasant," she remarked. She did not try to feign interest in the movie, but felt authentically sad for her friends.

"Ugh, come _ON_. We've been worked to the bone all month!" Beast Boy stomped in furious circles, pulling at his hair angrily. He was exasperated. "I just wanted ONE movie!"

It was true; the Titans had endured a ridiculous and exhaustive month. Most of the convicts that they worked hard to put in jail had recently escaped from confinement and decided to team up, just to throw the Titans for a loop. Bad guys who normally acted as minor annoyances had demonstrated to be more formidable than they expected, especially when they grouped off and had a competent leader behind the pack. Only last night had the Titans finally defeated the last of the escaped cons, which is why the young adult heroes were free this afternoon to venture to the movie cinema. Robin put his hand to his chin, really taking Beast Boy's comment into perspective. None of his team had been granted even a few hours of spare time over the past few weeks.

"Beast Boy is correct!" Starfire exclaimed, her thoughts apparently matching Robin's. "We have all fought so hard against our enemies, and truly deserve a day filled with enjoyment and relaxation! I wish to partake in the 'bumming out' and having fun!" She turned to her leader and close companion. Her voice was scorned with sadness. "Please, Robin."

Again, his masked eyes met with the Tamaranean girl's. As they glimmered, they looked worn out and distressed. He didn't know what to say. "Star," he replied while kicking the glass around his feet, "I don't know what I-"

"Yo, Rob," Cyborg interpolated before he had a chance to respond. "I've got an idea." The Boy Wonder was thankful for this interruption, but because he did not continue immediately, he quickly realized that his robot friend was scheming. Hesitation stalked its prey and clung to the air. Cyborg decided to tread carefully. "…If you don't mind us taking a few days off."

His words were loaded. Robin flinched. All four of the Titans turned and looked expectantly at their leader. Beast Boy's face contorted into staid desperation, and to accentuate this, he transformed into a puppy whose begging eyes rivaled even Starfire's cartoonish expression of nervousness. Cyborg smirked artfully as he subtly pressured his comrade into his demands, and even Raven looked moderately intrigued at the possibility of what the Boy Wonder might say next.

"I… I dunno, Cy. I mean… What if there's trouble?" He knew he was grasping at straws. The mechanical man had clearly already thought out the conversation.

"Dude, don't worry. I'll figure it out. And besides, it'll only be a few days." His words were smooth and cunning, and Robin's face twisted with anxiety at his teammate's poise and coolness.

"But…" He glanced around at his best friends. Each one of them looked plainly tired and bored. His Titans had continuously proved their aptitude and endurance over the past month – no, _years _– and he had never once issued any sort of official 'break' from the job. While he was transparently nervous about his responsibilities as the team's leader and the city's head protector, he knew his friends deserved a few measly days to relax. Starfire's eyes in particular pleaded and pained him. He stared out at the showery sky for a few moments, let out a conquered sigh, and stared at his teammates once again, donning an uneasy smile. "Okay, okay. I think we all could use a break."

The changeling and the alien princess cheered and jumped around elatedly. Beast Boy crooned, "Oh yeah, go Cyborg, it's ya birthday!" while dancing around his robotic friend, celebrating his success. Raven's face remained rather blank, as usual, though her friends knew her well enough to see through the deadpan expression, and Cyborg joined in on Beast Boy's victory dance. Upon seeing his friends so happy, Robin lightened up and allowed his smile to grow.

After a few more moments of festivity, Cyborg waved his friends to follow him back to their vehicle. "Alright, let's get back to the Tower 'cause I've got some plannin' to do. Take the rest of the day to relax and I'll need ya'll to meet back in the common room around six."

As the cheerful team piled into the T-Car for departure, the changeling jumped into the middle back seat and transformed himself once again into a mutt, drooling and wagging his tail jubilantly. Starfire and Raven seated themselves to either side of him, and as they closed their doors, the green mutt jumped into the princess's lap, nuzzling her until she giggled. He then turned to the dark sorceress and licked her face. As a sly-faced Cyborg drove his friends back home, Raven twitched at the affectionate gesture and sighed crossly. She pulled her hood up and gawked out the window once again as a very slight, coy smirk made its way to her lips. "You're never allowed to sit Bitch again."

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**Author's Note**: And that concludes the first chapter! **Please review**- this would highly motivate me to update. :)

Also, totally check out my other fic (_You Are All of This to Me_), and if you're itching for some BB/Rae, feel free to follow me on Tumblr: ** chromaticallychallenged **(dot tumblr dot com)

("Chromatically Challenged" is a trademark of TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne. READ HIS FICS! They're awesome.)


	2. Arrival

**Author's Note**: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story so far. Your support really makes the writing process a whole lot easier on me. :) Please continue to review any time you have a thought regarding the story; I respond to all of them, and appreciate them more than I could ever properly express!

**Disclaimer**: The Teen Titans do not belong to me. /3

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**Chapter 2 – Arrival**

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The mechanical man wandered around the common room restlessly, fidgeting with buttons on the sleeve of his arm and scratching his chin. It was nearly 6pm. Any moment now, his comrades would be entering the automatic doors of the OPS room. He'd already run a half dozen scans on the Tower's security systems in an attempt to make sure his plans for tonight ran smoothly. When it came down to the finer details, he had not been exactly honest with Robin earlier in the day about his intentions for some 'R and R'. He was relatively sure, however, that once Titans' leader understood all of the preparations Cyborg had taken in order to fulfill his scheme, he wouldn't be able to say no. Truth be told, he was more excited than nervous.

One _swoosh_of the automated doors would prove to effectively shatter the mechanical man's confidence. As a grinning Cyborg turned to see who entered the room, he was met with a steel-faced Boy Wonder whose arms were folded coldly in front of his chest.

"I've been really thinking, Cyborg…" Oh no. Cyborg's grin instantly vanished; this moment was already not going in the direction that he'd hoped for. "I don't think it's a great idea for us to take a few days 'off' from crime-fighting." The young man surely had meant for his words to sound more definitive and authoritative, but they betrayed him, coming off rather uneasy. Unfolding his arms and letting them fall to his sides, he continued, "I mean, we can't just take a break every time we feel overworked. What kind of standard are we setting for the rest of the Titans across the country?"

As the final words fell off his tongue, another _swoosh _came from behind, acquainting the OPS room with a chromatically challenged pair of teens. Before Cyborg got the chance to respond, the area was engulfed in a clash of voices – one that dripped with a light-hearted pleading, and another that held rather deadpan – engaged in argument.

The cloaked sorceress refused to look at the teen walking next to her. "_No_. You know what happened last time."

"Oh, forget about that. It was a fluke. This'll be fun!"

"Literally never again."

"Awe, come on, Raven!" His arms outstretched in defense of his honor and sincerity. "I promise I won't mess anything up!"

"The fact that you know you need to specify that is exactly why **_NO_**."

Cyborg's and Robin's eyebrows rose at the scene, but neither man dared to utter a word. Sure, they were both wildly curious about what the dispute between their teammates concentrated on, but they were smart enough to know not to get involved. Whenever Beast Boy and Raven got into one of their stubborn quarrels, it was best to leave them alone, as the shattering of the T-Car's side mirror had demonstrated earlier. Beast Boy almost always knew when he was pushing her buttons a bit too far, anyway. Truth be told, he enjoyed it, especially in this moment.

"But Rae, it sounds like so much FUN!"

"It sounds disastrous."

"When we go, can I borrow one of your cloaks?"

"Stop it."

"And I promise to only tell my best jo –"

"No."

"And maybe even _I_could take a swing at –"

"I'm _going_to hurt you."

Another _swoosh _occurred behind them as their Tamaranean friend joyously glided in through the automated doors wearing a pair of earmuffs. She soared overhead and then swooped low, all the while giggling, right in between the changeling and the sorceress, swiftly cutting short their argument. Raven's face glimmered with relief. Starfire landed gracefully in front of the mechanical man and the Boy Wonder with an armful of heavy jackets.

"Cyborg, I am most thrilled that we will be _vacationing_!" Robin's expression visibly grimaced at the word, as did Cyborg's. Raven and Beast Boy stared in mutual confusion. "I have spent the last few hours arranging my things, and I am certain that –"

"Woah, woah, WOAH!" Robin accusingly jumped between the man made of steel and the captivating alien princess. "Since when are we _leaving_ the tower? I thought we were gonna take a few days off _here_." His voice squeaked with edginess and apprehension. "And even _that's_starting to strike me as a bad idea." Cyborg's previous cool had by now been totally blown, and he mentally fumbled over his thoughts as Robin glared at him heatedly through his mask.

To Cyborg's relief, Starfire interrupted him. Her voice rang with determination. It was not often these days that she directly confronted the Boy Wonder, and when she did, she always got right down to business. "Robin, how are we to truly find tranquility if we remain in the Tower?"

He never knew what to say to her anymore.

He tried to craft his words carefully. He did not want to disappoint or anger her, but he also couldn't lie to her. Not those eyes. "Star, Jump City needs us. We can't just abandon it."

Starfire's eyes widened with hurt. He had apparently answered wrong. Her voice now brimmed with resentment and sadness. "So you are… taking back our vacation?"

The room silenced entirely as time came to a standstill. Not a single Titan breathed or moved an inch for a few incredibly heavy moments. Robin remained completely paralyzed in his stance, unwaveringly, trying to mask the tension in his face and ironically failing. Starfire looked both broken-hearted and bitter. Still hardly past the foot of the doorway, Beast Boy's mouth hung open slightly as his eyes darted between the young ex-lovers, and Raven's eyes grew notably uneasy, even from underneath her cloak. In the back of the room, Cyborg nearly began to sweat with anticipation, knowing that the turnout of this conversation would determine the fate of his perfect plan.

Starfire was the one to finally break the overcast in the room, as she solemnly closed her astringent eyes and let her head fall. All hearts in the room simultaneously broke at the sight of her expression. Taking her defeat with grace, she let out a simple "I see", and then slowly proceeded to walk back towards the automatic doors. Her shoulders nearly sunk to the floor.

"Wait!"

She had done it. She had broken him.

All eyes in the room shifted back towards Robin, except Starfire's, whose eyes remained focused on the doors ahead of her. His body language plainly reeked of shame and guilt. "No, Star. I'd never dream of cancelling our…" The word seemed stuck to his tongue for a solitary instant, and as he set it free, his face displayed an ounce of disdain. "…_vacation_."

Elation! The Tamaranean girl spun on her heels and rushed back towards where the masked man stood, now gleaming with happiness and gratitude. Robin's demeanor changed upon seeing the alien girl's delight; his tense expression softened and his stiff arms loosened themselves free from his folds. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd still prefer if we didn't stray too far away from the Tower."

"How am I to then see the snowy tundra and the incandescent Lights of North Greenland?" Starfire inquired.

"And how am I gonna visit all my fangirls in Japan?" Beast Boy fussed whiningly, now waving a tiny Japanese flag, which had appeared out of seemingly thin air. No one in the room bothered to acknowledge his plead, except for Raven, who swiftly and expressionlessly elbowed him in the arm.

Robin's eyes never left Starfire's. This was the longest he'd held her gaze in weeks. "I'm sorry, Starfire. The Northern Lights will have to wait a bit. What if I need you back here?" He noticed Cyborg raise an eyebrow at the statement, and quickly amended his phrasing. "What if _the city or the Titans _need you?"

She nodded in acceptance, not catching his word mishap. "I understand. I will remain here, with all of you, so that we may maintain watch."

"Not so fast," Cyborg interjected, seizing the perfect moment to execute his brilliant scheme. These were first words he'd uttered all evening. "We've got big plans tonight. Rob, you said you'd let _me_ figure it out. And I figured it all out." The masked leader stared stubbornly at his mechanical friend, still hesitant to rely on his mystery plans. Cyborg noticed this, and said, "_Trust_me."

Robin huffed, "Fine. So long as we don't –"

"Come on, ya'll! We gotta bounce!" Cyborg raised his right arm over his head, running towards the doors of the OPS room. They _swooshed _open for him. He was on his way out so quickly that neither the Boy Wonder nor his friends had a chance to act or refute. As Cyborg ran through them, he continued, "First one out chooses who sits Bitch!" As these words clung to the air, each Titan rose immediately from their place, joining the pursuit of the T-Car in chorus.

* * *

The Titans sat in the T-Car for hours. Towards the beginning of the ride, Robin had attempted to inquire where the bionic man intended to take the team. Each time, Cyborg had given him the run-around, or coolly ignored the question all together. Eventually, Robin took the hint and stopped asking. He was rather uncomfortable with leaving the Tower, especially without giving the mayor or the police department any notice, but he was desperately trying to respect and trust his best friend. To keep himself from worrying too much, and at the request of the half-mechanical driver sitting to his left, Robin dozed off an hour or so into the journey.

It was nearly 9 o'clock at night before Raven finally lost her patience. Wedged uncomfortably between the snoozing princess and the snoring changeling, both of whom were laying on her for support, she spat out in a goaded tone, "Where the hell are we going?"

Robin awoke from his slumber as the Raven's words intoxicated the air. He rubbed his eyes through his mask, and when the blurriness faded from his vision, the clock stunned him. "NINE O'CLOCK? CY, WHERE ARE WE?"

The mechanical young man chuckled aloud at his friends. Starfire and Beast Boy stirred alert at the sound of Robin's urgency, and blinked around in confusion. "The sun has set beyond the horizon," Starfire noted. "Friend Cyborg, are we near to our destination?"

"Yeah, Star", Cyborg nodded while laughing to himself. "We got another few minutes left, but we're basically here."

"Joyous!" the princess exclaimed and began clapping.

"Sweet," Beast Boy agreed as he happily joined Starfire's gesture.

Raven sat between them, still cramped and miserable. She sat hurdled up in the middle seat, hiding behind her cloak and hood. Her eyes shined with contempt. "Get me out of here."

"Don't worry, Raven, we're almost –"

Before the mechanical man could finish, Robin was up in his face. "We're really far from the Tower, Cyborg. I thought I made it clear that I didn't want us too far in case there's trouble!" The car swerved as the furious masked leader blocked Cyborg's vision. "We're _HOURS_away! And I didn't let anyone in the city know we'd be gone!" For the second time that day, the passengers in the back of the car experienced terror and screamed as the T-Car continued to veer across the road.

"Yo, man, chill! YOU SAID YOU'D TRUST ME!" With that, Cyborg used his right arm to pin the fuming Boy Wonder to his seat. Taking a heavy breath as he regained control over the car, he sighed. "Look, I said I'd take care of everything. I did. Everything's taken care of." Robin blinked at him in confusion, so the bionic man continued on. "I let the mayor and all the departments 'round the city know that we'd be takin' a few days for ourselves. They thought it was a great idea, since we've been working our asses off. They expect us back on Sunday."

"…Really?"

"Yup. _And _I even called in a favor. Speedy and Aqualad are gonna hang around the Tower for the next few days, just in case somethin' does come up." He flashed a big grin at the now jaw-dropped Boy Wonder.

"Cyborg! That's… honestly, pretty damn awesome. You did a great job." His smiled humbly at his friend. "I'm sorry for freaking out."

"No hard feelings, man. I know you're anal." Robin's left eye twitched from behind his mask, while Beast Boy snickered in the back seat and Cyborg's grin widened. "The mayor even insisted the city'd pay for our trip. He said it'd be offensive if we didn't let 'em."

Raven grumbled from the back seat. "The Mystic Arts Convention is coming to Jump City on Saturday…"

"Sorry, Rae!" Beast Boy chimed in song next to her. Aggravation swept across her expression. He batted his eyes, wiggled his eyebrows, and flashed that infamous big-toothed smile. "Looks like you can't get rid of me this weekend!" Her patience was running dangerously low.

"I didn't even get a chance to complain about coming." Raven's rancor was paid no mind to.

"What are we to do about clothing?" Starfire's question was undoubtedly valid; the team was going to be away from home for five days on their very first bona fide vacation, and had not been told to pack a thing. She wondered if Cyborg expected them to wear the same uniforms they were currently in for the entire trip.

"Don't worry, Star." The mechanical man made a dismissive motion towards her with his hand. "Remember those big emergency packs we all stored away in the T-Ship in case we ever had to evacuate?" He winked at the Tamaranean goddess. "They're in the trunk." She and Beast Boy both smiled exuberantly at his shrewdness. Before Raven could make a sarcastic comment or Robin could complain about how those backpacks had been intended for emergencies only, Cyborg brought the T-Car to a sudden halt and turned off the ignition.

"Well gang, we're here."

* * *

As the Titans exited the large parking deck with their oversized backpacks and walked towards their objective, their jaws fell to the floor in unison. In front of them stood a colossal crème-colored hotel, covered in a thousand cerulean windows and balconies. Its architecture seemed classic and yet modern; elegant and contemporary. They witnessed an incredible below-ground pool peeking out from behind the right-hand side of the hotel, accompanied by a wooden stage, seating area, and bar. In the distance to the left, the team could even spot ocean waves sweeping along beach sands, and a lengthy boardwalk that extended down to a pier full of amusement rides. The massive signs they passed while walking up towards the revolving doors of the hotel read "The White Sands" in cursive lettering. The scene resembled paradise.

"Woah," let out a captivated Robin.

Starfire's eyes grew enormous and sparkled. "Oh, it is beyond glorious. It is breathtaking!" She skipped towards Cyborg, and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Cyborg, thank you for arranging this! I am glad after all that I am not currently occupying Greenland." Luckily, his titanium limbs could handle it, and he squeezed back.

"Dude, this is _crazy!_" Beast Boy screamed, marveling at the sights before him. "The city offered to pay for _all this?_"

"Friend Raven," Starfire queried while flying next to Raven, "Do you not find our whereabouts pleasurable?"

The sorceress scoffed behind the hood of her cloak. "I suppose it's …more attractive… than the convention would have been." As Starfire flew ahead of the group, Raven turned to Cyborg and flashed him an infinitesimal smile to express her gratitude. She'd never admit it audibly, but the scene was beautiful. He understood, returned her gesture, and nodded appropriately.

The Titans sauntered through the entrance of the hotel and were further awestruck. The lobby was immense and furnished like a tropical heaven. The women at the front desk were tan and gorgeous, wearing leis and tasteful floral-print dresses. All of the guests and hotel employees marveled quietly at the entrance of the superhero team. Cyborg moseyed up to the woman on the left. "Hey there. 'V. Stone', party of five."

The woman smiled strikingly at him, "Yes, Mr. Cyborg! We've been awaiting your arrival. We're very happy and humbled that the Teen Titans have decided to vacation here." Her smile grew, and she briskly handed him five sets of keys, as well as five brochures. "Your rooms are already prepared for you. As you know, room service is complimentary for the entirety of your vacation, as are the rest of the hotel's amenities." She never broke her smile. "This includes the bar, various eateries, beach, and boardwalk attractions."

Neither did the mechanical man. "Thanks, miss."

"Only the best for California's residential heroes!" The two women proceeded to walk up to each Titan, adorning a gracious grin, and put leis around each of their necks. "Please follow Mr. McDowell," the man concierge beamed as she pointed towards one of the bellhops, who had by now carted the Titans' bags. "And please enjoy your stay at The White Stands! If you need anything at all, just press the star button on your room phones."

Mr. McDowell was dressed from head to toe in a deep green bellhop uniform. A peculiar, curly mustache dwelled below his nose. His complexion was rather pale, and he seemed to be in his late thirties. "I'll escort you to your rooms."

As the team boarded the elevator with Mr. McDowell, Robin turned to Cyborg with traces of awe present in his voice. "Hey Cy, how do you know about this place?" The mechanical man remained silent, whilst a roguish smirk crept across his face. For a moment, he appeared to be lost in thought… or perhaps distant memories of another lifetime. Robin eyed him skeptically.

"Man, Cy, this is so awesome!" Beast Boy patted his best friend on the back, bringing him out of his trance. "What should we do first?"

While the elevator with the Titans and Mr. McDowell ascended to the twelfth floor, Cyborg handed out the room keys and brochures. He checked the watch that was built into his left arm, and noted that it was already almost 10 o'clock at night. "You can do whatever you want, man. Ya'll can check the brochures to see what's still open. Part of the reason I picked this place is 'cuz I know they got stuff here we can _all_enjoy." He emphasized the word 'all' as he looked over at a typically unenthused Raven, who had bright orange leis around her neck.

"I somehow doubt that," she quietly deadpanned. She didn't mean to be such a downer; Raven was still just perturbed by the fact that she had unwittingly been dragged on a vacation without her consent. It also didn't help that she'd already bought the tickets for the Mystic Arts convention that she'd planned to attend that upcoming weekend.

"Excuse me, Madame," Mr. McDowell interjected. He had an accent that suggested he had spent a lot of time in Europe – perhaps somewhere in Britain. "Mr. Cyborg is correct. The White Sands prides itself on its wide range of activities. I am sure that you will find something here to accommodate your tastes." He politely gestured for Raven to hand him her brochure. Sighing, she agreed. He flipped open to the bottom of the third page, and held it back out to her.

Raven noted the words he was pointing to. Her desultory facial expression quickly softened. "Cool," she commented genuinely, and ever-so-slightly nodded her approval. Beast Boy looked over her shoulder to see what the bellhop had suggested for her.

"Damn," the changeling remarked, making a face that suggested he wasn't exactly interested in joining her. "I guess they really do have something for everyone."

Raven saw his cynical expression. "Actually, you'd probably like it."

"I somehow doubt that," he mockingly deadpanned towards her. She shot him a glare and dropped the subject.

Starfire was very excited that her best friend would be able to enjoy herself on the group vacation. The Tamaranean princess was very aware of the fact that Raven's tastes did not usually mirror those of the other Titans', and often worried about whether she'd take pleasure in her time on outings. She clapped and hovered closer to Mr. McDowell, a very large and cheerful smile encompassing her face. "Oh, thank you for your consideration! You have been most helpful already. Do you perhaps have anything you could suggest we might all enjoy to partake in as a group?"

McDowell flashed an instance of a smile towards the princess – the only hint so far that he was capable of expressing emotions behind his peculiar mustache – and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. The Tiki Bar has activities for people of all ages and interests."

She clapped exuberantly as the elevator reached their destination. The Titans and McDowell piled out with the bag cart in toe. Starfire outstretched her arms and walked backwards so that she could address her teammates. "Friends! May we celebrate the beginning of a wonderful vacation together on this night?"

The Titans looked at one another – particularly at Raven, who simply blinked her approval – and then turned back to Starfire. Robin was the one to speak up. Smiling sheepishly he responded, "We'd love to, Star."

She blushed slightly at him and then squealed in delight. It was not often that the entire group agreed to hang out together outside of the Tower. Their interests varied greatly, and finding something that appeased each one of them often proved to be quite the challenge. However, the Titans all knew what it meant to Starfire to spend time together as a family, and they respected it.

After walking a bit more down the hallway, Cyborg took the key to room number 1244 and unlocked the door. McDowell unloaded the cybernetic man's backpack from the cart and continued moving onward to the next room. As he walked into his room, Cyborg turned around to see his four teammates staring at him. "Alright, guys, this is my room. The other two rooms are right over there," he pointed a few yards away. "When ya'll are settled in, just meet here and we'll head downstairs." With that, he grinned and began to shut the door behind him. Before it closed, however, he spoke up once again. "Oh. And why don't we try goin' out as normal people instead of superheroes tonight? It's our _vacation_, after all." He then swiftly shut his door.

The rest of the team looked at one-another in confusion. Seldom did the Teen Titans ever get the chance to relax or enjoy a public outing as group, but even rarer was it for them to do it in civilian clothing. It was especially odd to hear it coming from Cyborg, considering the fact that he didn't exactly wear clothes.

Robin looked at his hands and noted that the four remaining keys were for room numbers 1245 and 1246. "Well, alright. How should we split the rooms?" He had said it without thinking, but immediately, tension arose in the air. The remaining Titans and Mr. McDowell offered no suggestions to him, and looked around at one-another uncomfortably. They were not accustomed to sharing rooms. It was a predominantly awkward circumstance at this moment in time because Robin and Starfire were no longer dating.

Beast Boy looked between the masked man and the amber princess. They were not making eye contact. Raven noticed this as well and cleared her throat. "Starfire and I will take the far room." She took a key for room 1246 for herself and handed the other to her friend. "We'll get ready and meet you at Cyborg's room in a half hour." With that, Raven grabbed Starfire's arm and dragged her down the hall. McDowell had already unloaded Beast Boy's and Robin's bags and was following Raven to room 1246. Beast Boy and Robin looked at each-other and shrugged before entering their room.

McDowell soon finished removing the ladies' bags from the cart. Raven went into her pocket to fish out a tip for the kind bellhop, but he lightly held his gloved hand over hers, gesturing for her to stop. He shook his head, "Ma'am, there is no need. The mayor of your city has included my tip in the expense for your stay." Not wanting to push the subject, she nodded and smiled politely. Mr. McDowell then proceeded to give the female Titans a tiny bow, and turned to make his exit. "If you should require any assistance, please do not hesitate to press the star on your room telephones and I will quickly be at your service."

"Thank you," Raven replied.

"Friend McDowell," Starfire waved at the bellhop as he began to make his trip down the hall, "Are you sure you would not like to accompany us to the Bar of Tiki?"

At this, the man grinned from ear to ear and shook his head. He was not used to guests being as warm-hearted as the Tamaranean girl, and he had surely not expected this kind of kindliness from the group of young heroes. "Thank you, Miss Starfire. I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. Please have a wonderful night." She smiled at him and waved once again before closing the door to their room. As he departed, McDowell realized that his response to the amber-skinned girl was the first time in days that he'd smiled so genuinely.

* * *

**Author's Note**: The third installment of this story will be up as soon as possible. Please review and let me know if you like it or have any sort of suggestions. :)


	3. Intoxicated Spirits

Author's Note: Editing this chapter grew tedious. I apologize if the middle is somewhat sloppy or disorganized - I was in a whimsical mood when I wrote it and I just don't have the time or energy at the moment to perfect the wording. Also, here's some fair warning that this whole chapter is fluff. HAHA. Anyway, **please review**! Let me know exactly what you think. :)

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 3 ****–** Intoxicated Spirits

* * *

It was taking the two female Titans significantly longer to get ready for their group outing to the Tiki Bar than Raven imagined it would've. The sorceress had expected it would take perhaps twenty minutes to prepare themselves – perhaps less, even – but it was now nearing 11 o'clock, and still the Tamaranean princess was locked within their bathroom, insisting on looking no less than "perfect". Starfire did not usually get many excuses to don chic civilian clothes, took an extraordinarily lengthy time deciding what to wear. She had gotten completely dressed and changed her mind twice already. Raven sat on the corner of her bed, edgily picking at her fingernails and tensely staring out the window. The periphery of the boardwalk's tantalizing lights and attractions were visible from the balcony's window.

Raven was, as one might expect, growing overbearingly impatient. Up until this point, she'd been surprisingly Aggravation swelled within the sorceress' vocal cords. "Starfire, this isn't a fashion show. I'm sure you'll have more opportunities this week to wear normal clothes, so please," she begged, exhaling the syllables with a magnanimous breath of irritation, "just _pick _something already."

"I am truly sorry, Raven," the princess apologized genuinely, her voice presently muffled through the bathroom door. The girls' vacation room had proven to be gorgeous; the bathroom, which was comprised of diamond-colored marble, possessed a glossy full-size bath and spacious shower, along with two his-and-her sinks. The bedroom contained wood paneling from ceiling to floor, incredible woodwork, a large flat-panel TV, and tropical-styled art pieces and bedspreads. Raven requested the bed nearest the window cove, which led out to a balcony.

A few moments later, the muffled princess hollered again. "I think I am ready now!"

Raven folded her arms. "Let's hope so."

Starfire emerged from the bathroom wearing a dress and wedge sandals. The dress was summery in its design; it had a jovial black and white floral design towards the top and faded into a white, flowing skirt. The neck of the dress was wide and exposed her shoulders. Around the mid-section, a bright purple ribbon wrapped the dress so that it hugged her body more closely. Her long, crimson hair flew freely as it habitually did. The princess' signature silver armband clung to her arm, and the purple leis she'd been given earlier adorned her neck, as well. Upon exiting the bathroom, she twirled in a circle in order to show off her outfit, and then looked expectantly with big eyes towards her best friend.

The empath couldn't help but ease out of her impatience when presented with Starfire's bright happiness. "You look nice."

Starfire preformed another twirl for her friend. Afterwards, she daintily picked up the ends of her skirt and curtsied. A slightly impish and self-conscious look crossed her face. "Do you think that Robin will like it?"

Raven was taken aback by the question and stared at her quizzically, unsure of the proper way to proceed. "I thought you two were broken up at the moment."

In an instant, the elated feelings that once poured from Starfire's pores dissipated entirely. Sadness immediately crept its way out of the body of the amber-skinned sweetheart. The pangs of heartache hit the empath so swiftly that she instantly wished she had choked back her words. The Tamaranean princess shook her head. "We are on a break from our relationship."

"Oh," Raven responded, not sure of what to say. Intimate moments were not her forte. She truthfully hadn't been too fazed when the couple had separately announced a few months prior that they were no longer together, for as an empath, Raven could always pick up on the hidden emotions of her teammates while they sat together in the common room. In recent weeks before the couple's separation, sadness and dissatisfaction radiated from Starfire. From Robin, she predictably hadn't felt much, aside from the occasional pang of guilt; he'd always been eerily good with masking his emotions. Raven had attempted to ask Starfire what happened around the time of the event, but the princess had expressed that she did not want to talk about it, and Raven decided it was best not to pry.

Now, however, she felt it might be more appropriate. Very quietly, she inquired. "Why?"

Starfire took a seat next to her best friend on the edge of the tropical-styled bedspread and exhaled longingly. "Robin… has great difficulty with expressing himself." Raven nodded and let the princess continue. "Months ago, I admitted my love for him… and he did not return the feeling."

The empath looked at Starfire, unable to hide the shock in her eyes. "He said that he didn't love you?"

The princess shook her head. "No. He did not say that. But he did not say it back." She locked eyes with her friend. Raven didn't need to be an empath to understand how heartbroken she felt.

"I'm sorry, Starfire. Maybe there was a misunderstanding?"

"I do not think so, Raven." Starfire replied, standing from the bed. "Robin has never been fond of sweet words or publicly affectionate displays of emotion. He has…" Another sharp breath escaped her, and her glance fell solemnly to the floor. "…always been doubtful."

The sorceress put a reassuring hand on the Tamaranean's shoulder, doing her best to be a comforting friend. "Life comes with some doubts, Starfire. Perhaps he just wasn't ready to say he loved you back yet."

Starfire looked to her friend again. Her harlequin eyes shimmered with hope. "Is that normal?"

Raven couldn't help but to exhale a miniscule laugh. "Very. Especially for Robin. It took him two years to finally kiss you. What does that say?"

The princess pondered Raven's words for another moment and then turned around, donning a tiny smile on her face. "Thank you, Raven, for your support."

"No problem, Starfire. Now let's head downstairs."

Picking at the skirt of her dress, the Tamaranean looked momentarily uncertain of her outfit decision. "Do you think that I should –"

"No!" Raven's outcry startled the princess a bit as she jumped up from her seated position on the bed. Regaining her complexion, the sorceress continued. "Really, Starfire, you look very nice. Let's just get out of here."

Starfire smiled extravagantly at the empath. "Thank you." It was then that she noticed that Raven wasn't anywhere near as dressed up; she sported black jeans, light gray sneakers, and a midnight blue sweatshirt that exactly matched the shade of her usual cloaks. "Friend, we are venturing to the Bar of Tiki! The paper which Friend McDowell distributed indicated that it is also a sophisticated eatery and club of dancing. Would you not like to join me in the 'dressing up'?"

The sorceress shrugged and looked down at her clothes. "I don't really do _dressy_."

Starfire's eyes grew even bigger, now brimming with earnestness. "Oh, but Raven, it would mean so to me."

Raven reluctantly looked towards the princess and rolled her eyes. With the overabundance of crime that had recently occupied the Titans' lives, the two girls had not spent much time together. It'd been weeks since Raven agreed to accompany Starfire to the 'mall of shopping', and months since she allowed herself to be given 'the make-over' – and even then, Raven refused to remove her cloak or let the guys see her in make-up. Raven knew that if she agreed to Starfire's requests for the night, she'd be able to spend the rest of the vacation however she wanted and without much guilt or hassle. Plus, the Tamaranean princess had just opened her heart and shared its ache with Raven.

Raven sighed in exasperation. "If I let you dress me up _a little_, will you promise to give me an easy time this week?"

Starfire nodded her head desperately and clasped her hands together in a pleading manner.

Too keen – or perhaps untrusting – to be tricked or taken advantage of, Raven looked at her friend skeptically. "Starfire, you have to _promise _you won't make me wear anything I'll hate."

Starfire's eyes had by now grown so large that they threatened to bulge out of her face. "Oh, I promise, I promise! All clothing suggestions will remain in your region of comfort!"

Another weary sigh escaped Raven's lips. "Alright, Starfire. Make it quick." The princess shrieked with excitement and delights as she grabbed Raven by the hand, flying her into the bathroom so quickly that she nearly broke the sound barrier.

* * *

Raven and Starfire mentioned that they were running late almost an hour ago and had told the boys that they'd meet them in the Tiki Bar. Despite the fact that the majority of it was located outside, the bar, restaurant, and dance floor were brimming with lights, sounds, and people. In a similar fashion to the hotel, the entire place was decorated like a tropical paradise; brightly-colored florae and palm tree leaves covered every portion of the walls and ceilings, and even the music that pumped from the deejay's speakers were modern and techno remixes of tropical tunes. Everyone around wore either fairly formal summer clothes, or were decked out in tropical-themed attire. The table the male Titans currently sat at was located on the far side of the restaurant portion of the Tiki Bar, where they could get a fantastic view of the beach from their seats.

Cyborg had finished this third round of BBQ chicken wings before his impatience got the better of him. "Damn, where are these girls? I'm startin' to get real hungry." He had on a long-sleeved blue collared shirt and formal black pants over his metalized body, concealing the majority of his robotic parts. Of course, one look at the right side of his face would give away his identity, but he wasn't going for a disguise; he was simply trying to maintain a formal enough appearance for the area and enjoy his evening.

"Dude, _gross_," Beast Boy sneered at Cyborg's finished plates. He winced and turned away from the all-meat dish, expressing clear disdain. The green teen wore a pair of dark jeans, black shoes, his usual gray combat gloves, and a button-up plum-hued shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He pointed an accusatory finger at the robotic man. "You're a monster. You know that?"

Robin shook his head at the scene before him and put his hand up to his forehead in shame. His hair was tussled messily, but he looked perfectly sharp in his black shoes, blue jeans, and open black sport jacket. Beneath it, he donned a button-up white shirt, and on his face, he donned his usual mask and an expression of embarrassment. Cyborg and Beast Boy were best friends – brothers, some might say – but _damn_, did they get in a lot of squabbles. Too often were these squabbles in public.

"Hey man, don't hate on the BBQ chicken. They're my one true love." To accentuate his point, Cyborg picked up the most recent dish he'd finished and licked it clean.

"_Ewww_, man!" Beast Boy cried in disgust, throwing his hands in front of his face. He seemed beyond nauseated. "How can you be so cruel? That was one a CHICKEN. It was a little living _being_, dude, just like you or me!"

Cyborg's demeanor changed and his face turned to stone. "You know what, BB? You're right." Beast Boy looked at him, thoroughly unconvinced that his best friend was letting him win this one. He was, of course, justified in his skepticism; after a few all-too-brief moments of silence, the mechanical man then belched loudly in the changeling's face. "You sure _are_a chicken."

With that, Cyborg let out a hearty laugh as Beast Boy's anger visibly rose. The two continued to banter, tease, and repartee back and forth. Robin only shook his head further and tried to remain far away from the argument. With the boisterous commotion at table being so distracting, no one noticed the lady Titans approach them from behind.

"Greetings, friends!"

The table of three turned around and their expressions blanked. Before them stood Starfire and Raven, both of whom looked notably and shockingly stylish. Raven had complied with Starfire's request to 'dress up' with her, and sported a pair of gray skinny jeans, black boots, and a black shirt that exposed her back and shoulders. Though it wasn't outstandingly formal attire, it was by far the dressiest anyone had ever seen Raven in their four years of friendship. Miraculously, the princess had even convinced her to clip back one side of her hair.

Starfire sported the same outfit that she'd put on earlier, the skirt of her dress now flowing in the light breeze. Upon seeing the amber-skinned beauty, Robin's jaw landed somewhere on the floor, and so he found trouble speaking anything for a while, and remained rather motionless.

"Woah! You guys look awesome," Beast Boy exclaimed. Starfire expressed her thanks, and Raven crossed her arms over her chest looking somewhat self-conscious. He gave both Starfire and Raven a thorough once-over, and stopped in his tracks when he reached Raven's shoes. "Starfire, how did you get Raven to wear _heels?!_"

"They're _boots_," Raven retorted to the changeling, her voice deadpan as usual. "I always wear boots."

The changeling pointed at her feet in expletive, particularly towards the one-inch heels on the back of her boots. "Yeah, but those have _HEELS_. That's like, way girly for you, Rae-Rae."

The sorceress's face remained deadpan. "I bet they'd make fantastic weapons," she remarked coldly, her orchid eyes betraying hints of anger and embarrassment while piercing his soul. He chuckled sheepishly at her threat, sunk back into his seat, and quickly decided that he should not further pursue the subject.

Cyborg nodded at his female companions. "You two really clean up well! Puttin' us all to shame here," he motioned at the males Titans.

As the girls took their seats, a waitress sauntered over to the table. She wore a tropical-styled dress underneath her white server apron. The girl's voice rang with cheer. "Hello, and welcome to the White Sands Tiki Bar! My name is Cassandra, and I'll be your waitress for the night." She smiled widely for the Titans. "We're very pleased to have you heroes with us tonight. Would you like to begin with some drinks?"

"Definitely," the green teen responded to his server as she distributed five menus to the team of Titans. Cassandra suggested they note the reverse side of the menus first so that they could focus on ordering beverages.

Cyborg's eyes were instantly drawn to the bottom left corner of the beverages menu, and he smiled devilishly as he began his order. "I'll take a large strawberry daiquiri, please." Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy's eyebrows rose in unison upon hearing his request. The man was still a month shy of reaching the legal age to drink. The masked leader stared incredulously at his robotic friend, but refrained from an outburst.

Cassandra merely smiled and wrote down the mechanical man's order. "Lovely. Next?"

She looked expectantly towards the masked hero. "Yeah, uh," Robin coughed, finally finding his voice. "A coke's fine for me. Thanks."

The waitress moved along the table clockwise. "I would like a beer of roots! Thank you." The Tamaranean goddess requested with a beaming smile.

"Water, please," Raven insisted.

Before ordering, the changeling cleared his throat. His face seemed rather nervous. "Yes," he began in a deeper voice, as his friends eyed him with interest. "I'd like a long island iced tea." Raven's and Robin's jaws dropped at his words, and Cyborg stifled an indecipherable laugh. After a moment of initial shock, Robin's face contorted into a definitive look of anger. Starfire, as usual, noticed the subtle changes in the expressions of her friends, and sat patiently in her confusion.

"No problem," Cassandra responded nonchalantly, putting her notepad away. "I'll be right back with your drinks." As she walked away, Robin turned back to his teammate and could no longer hold in his irritation.

"Beast Boy," he began with wide eyes and a furious expression, "What the hell are you doing ordering alcohol?" As he uttered the final word, his voice raised in pitch and let out a nearly-inaudible squeak.

The changeling shrugged and fiddled with his hands on the table. "I dunno, man. I was just wingin' it. But Cyborg did too!"

"Yeah," the masked teen replied with an exasperated sigh, "But he's almost twenty-one. You're not even eighteen yet!"

Beast Boy waved a hand dismissively at his leader and then crossed his arms. "Psh, whatever, man. Stop being such a party pooper. I'll be fine! I've totally had alcohol before."

"No you haven't," Cyborg said, giggling all the while and calling him out on his lie.

"Fine, I haven't," the changeling admitted. "But if you're allowed to try a drink, so am I." Though his words were verbalized meekly, they held an air of defiance.

Robin exhaled in aggravation and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't sure what to do about the current predicament. This was the first time in all their years of crime-fighting that the team had gone on a legitimate vacation or even mentioned the subject of alcohol in a group. "Cy," he said, turning to his second-in-command, "What do you think?"

Cyborg shrugged nonchalantly. "Man, I don't care as long as I get my daiquiri." At this, Raven stifled a laugh of her own. Cyborg briskly turned to her, "What're you laughin' at, missy?"

She cleared her throat. "To quote a certain idiot: That's, like, _way _girly for you, Cy-Cy." Beast Boy ignored the insult and joined Robin, chuckling in agreement.

"Friends," Starfire interrupted with a look on her face demonstrating deep puzzlement. She glanced between her four friends as a slight pink hue inched across her face. "What exactly is this 'alcohol' of which you speak? I have often heard it mentioned within films and television programs." Before anyone could reply, the princess's blush deepened and she continued. "Tell me, friends: Why does this 'alcohol' make females on your planet more willing to engage in sexual encounters?" Raven put her hand to her forehead while Beast Boy and Cyborg erupted into laughter. Robin's eyes widened and let out an exhausted groan.

"Uh… Anyone else wanna take this one?" The masked hero inquired desperately towards the rest of his friends, pulling at his collar. In order to avoid having to explain anything, the changeling quickly transformed into a tortoise and hid cowardly inside of his shell.

The empath stared expressionlessly at her masked friend, who looked like he was about to begin sweating. "No way," she deadpanned. "I had nothing to do with this."

Robin turned his face pleadingly towards the mechanical man. "Oh _hell _no," Cyborg laughed while getting out of his chair. "Time to use the little boy's room," he chuckled while exiting the vicinity.

"You don't even _use _bathrooms!" The Boy Wonder yelled after him, but his words fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Music blared mindlessly through the speakers while blinking black lights illuminated the clothes and faces of every stranger on the dance floor. Now well into the hours of early morning, the restaurant had closed for the night and the Tiki Bar's club and bar hopped with vacationers looking to have a good time. A beautiful girl with long, crimson hair and tangerine skin stood rather awkwardly next to a handsome-faced teen with peculiar green skin and pointed ears. He was dancing merrily next to her, trying to get her to have some fun.

"C'mon, Star!" He chimed in her ear, wiggling around her, shaking his body in various strange-looking manners. "Bust a move!"

She peered back towards the table where a few of her friends remained seated, far out of earshot. A very pale-skinned girl with soft, violet hair sat alone on one side of the booth. Her expression hinted that she was tired and relatively bored. She was reading a book that she'd snuck down earlier in the night. Across from her sat two wildly gorgeous females – one blonde, one brunette – and a strikingly attractive masked man with messy licorice hair, flashing smiles and laughing heartily with his companions. One of the girls at the booth pulled a pen and paper out of her purse and seemed to ask the masked man to write in it. He happily complied.

Back on the dance floor, the Tamaranean girl's eyes grew a deeper shade of green with jealousy.

"Staaaaarfireeee," Beast Boy moaned impatiently, all the while wiggling absurdly. She was clearly not entertaining him.

As he began to stomp around indignantly, a few girls approached him and the alien princess. They giggled to themselves, admiring his green skin. "Do you mind if we cut in?" one of the girls asked Starfire, her voice hinting of selfishness. Without waiting for a response, they grabbed his arm and circled around him while dancing. The princess was quickly cut out of the circle, left on her own.

Her right hand instinctively grabbed onto her left arm shyly. She looked around, no longer recognizing any faces around her. She decided that she was no longer having much fun, and that it was perhaps time to retreat to her bedroom for the night. As she began making her way back to the booth (which she had admittedly been trying to avoid) in order to ask Raven to accompany her, a few young men sauntered up to princess.

"Hey cutie!" one of them said, . He had shaggy brown hair and an attractive smile. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

The Tamaranean girl glanced at him quizzically. "I do not believe so."

A small group was forming around her. One of the boys in the back chimed in. "Hey, you look like that hot alien girl from Jump City!"

She no longer knew who to address. At least ten handsome men stood around her, smiling and flirting and offering to buy her drinks. While at first their attention made her quite uncomfortable, she soon realized it was highly flattering. "I am Starfire of the Teen Titans," she said proudly. Glimpsing once more at the table where her friends sat, and noticing that one of the strange females now had her arm linked with Robin's, the princess turned boldly towards the large group of suitors surrounding her. She diffidently grabbed the wrist of the man with the shaggy brown hair and handsome smile. "Would you like to accompany me for an Earthly dance?"

* * *

Cyborg stumbled slightly over to the booth where his friends were located. A small posse of strangers followed him, hanging on to his arm and praising him with random compliments. The empath, facing the general direction of the mechanical man as he staggered over, subtly alerted her masked friend across the booth to his oncoming arrival.

Robin looked at the girls who he'd spent the last half hour with and smiled apologetically at them. "Well, ladies, it was fun, but I'm afraid it's time for us Titans to call it a night." They thanked him for his autograph and blew him kisses as they left. Right on cue, Cyborg fell into the booth, giggling with his new friends and thanking them for bringing him back.

"Dawgs, you crazy. Ya'll have a good night, ya hear? And I'll see ya'll tomorrow at the beach!" His words were very faintly slurred. He seemed to be well in control of himself, but had surely downed another strawberry daiquiri or two since an hour ago when the Titans had dispersed from the table.

The Boy Wonder glared at him with scolding eyes. "Cy, I think it's about time we get you back to your room."

"Nah, man," the mechanical man waved dismissively at him. "Tipsy at most."

By now, Raven had closed her book and was trying to block out the mixture of worry and anger emanating from Robin. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to calm the headache that she'd most likely be left with later. "Robin, I can open up a portal and bring him back up to his room."

He shook his head. "Thanks, Raven, but I think I'd like to walk Cyborg back and have a chat with him."

As Robin tugged on the robotic man's arm in order to pull him into standing position, Cyborg pointed towards the dance floor and shouted, "Damn girl, _work it!_" The sorceress and the masked hero whipped their heads around to where his finger was pointed, and their mouths fell slightly agape at the picture in front of them.

Starfire appeared to be a goddess on the dance floor. As she swayed and bopped to the rhythm of the music, young men from every direction cheered her on and took quick turns dancing with her. Meanwhile, young women sent bitter glares at her from outside the inner circle of dancing suitors. It seemed that Starfire was commanding most of the room's attention.

Robin took in the scene before him and promptly grew agitated. Motionlessly, he continued to stare in the princess's direction for a few minutes. The empath on the other side of the booth could feel the masked man's jealousy and finally put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Go get her," she said with a soft smile. "I think Cyborg will be fine here for a bit." Raven motion back towards the booth where Cyborg now lay, carelessly and soundly asleep.

Robin nodded his thanks to the sorceress and made his way towards the dance floor, slowly pushing through the large crowd that had formed despite the night's late hour. As he disappeared into the crowd, a green teenager exploded from its inner depths and barreled towards the booth where the empath and the robot remained.

Beast Boy extended his arms and thrust himself at his violet-haired friend. "Raaaaaveeeen!" He shouted, taking her hand haphazardly and dragging her several feet away from the booth.

"Beast Boy," she grumbled, trying to break free of his grasp, "What are you trying to –"

He grabbed her hand and circled it around the top of her head, spinning her in place and then proceeding to spin himself. Ignoring her imminent expression of fury, the green teen exclaimed, "Let's DANCE!" before falling flat on his face at the foot of the booth.

Raven stared coldly at the changeling, expecting him to jump up. She awaited the perfect moment to pummel him into the ground. However, it never came; instead, a deep snoring noise soon emitted from the sleeping prankster as he lay sprawled across the floor. Heaving a sigh of relief, she crossed her arms and looked down at him. "Ugh. Not you, too. Robin's going to be livid."

* * *

Neither the black lights nor the earsplitting music could deter Robin away from his current objective. Slowly but surely making his way towards the center of the dance floor, the obsidian-haired hero weaved in between and around the dancing strangers, many of which stopped to point at the infamous man. A few gutsy ladies even attempted to tug playfully on his sport jacket, flirtatiously requesting a dance, but the Boy Wonder brushed them off and could not be bothered; he already had his masked eyes set on a particular individual.

With grace and poise, the amber-skinned beauty commanded every ounce of attention on the dance floor. Handsome suitors from every direction asked to dance, and for a few moments she would politely consider each request and smile her approval, not wanting to disappoint a soul. However, after no more than a mere few seconds of dancing with any specific partner, she would politely move on to the next suitor or continue dancing on her own. It was clear to anyone who paid keen attention to the scene that the alien princess was not predominantly interested in any of the men around her.

She spotted him from twenty feet away. Never breaking eye contact with his masked eyes, she continued swaying to the music, tempting and teasing him to venture closer. He finally reached her, and the dance floor's suitors hastily dispersed, recognizing the Boy Wonder and knowing well of his relationship with the Tamaranean. A circle slowly formed around the two Titans, who were only separated by meager inches.

"Hey," he said coolly, still staring deeply into the chartreuse windows to her soul. "I think we're all planning on heading to bed soon."

Disenchanted by his words, her body gradually ceased moving in its rhythmic trance. A fleeting looking of disappointment flashed across her eyes. She mumbled, "I see. Thank you for notifying me."

Their feet seemed set in stone. A few heavy moments of unbearable weight and silence were exchanged between the two, all the while a crowd curiously looking on and the club's music still blaring around them. The masked man couldn't take his eyes away from hers; it was as if that moment in time could not be broken. Ever so slowly and cautiously, Robin extended his right arm around the waist of the Tamaranean princess, reaching so that he may whisper in her ear. Starfire, if not for an instant, stopped breathing as the murmur left his lips. "One quick dance?"

The words echoed in the princess's mind, rebounding against the edges of her skull and sending a ripple of shivers up and down her spine. Humbly slipping her slender arms around his neck, she smiled tenderly and began to sway once more. His left arm reached around her and found itself gently hugging her hip. For the remainder of the intense beat, the pair of Titans swayed hypnotically to the intoxicating rhythms and chemistry that floated in the air. This was the closest physical contact the princess had made with the masked wonder in months. She ached to savor it.

All too quickly, the song ended, and regretfully the ex-lovers separated. Her land lingered for a moment on his toned arm, and once again her eyes met his. For a few more seconds, he watched as galaxies did somersaults across her harlequin beauties. He only broke gaze with her for a fluttering instant, as his eyes wandered inches down to her soft lips. They parted for him, and the masked hero brushed his hand against her face, his body once again closing in on the princess's.

An unmistakable uproar of cheering was heard on the far side of the club. Shattering their moment, both Titans looked over to the source of the sound, where a group was quickly gathering and hooting wildly. The Tamaranean goddess was the first to speak, as a tone of concern escaped her throat. "Cyborg," she gasped, motioning towards the scene. The mechanical man was standing on the top of the booth where the masked hero had just left him, juggling salt shakers.

A look of embarrassment washed over both Starfire and Robin. The masked man let out an accidental groan, dissatisfied with his robotic friend's bacchanalian antics and the termination of the couple's passionate moment. Taking two large steps back from him with a new pink blush creeping across her face, the princess pointed towards the scene and inquired, "Robin, what exactly is Cyborg attempting to do?"

Looking back at the booth, Cyborg looked unmistakably ridiculous, and Raven seemed to be simultaneously scolding him from the floor and hiding her apparent shame. "Just making a fool of himself," Robin muttered under his breath, understandably unhappy about the infringement. Now that the tender moment between the ex lovers had surely passed, the two heroes walked briskly back towards the current cause of commotion, keeping a few feet of space between themselves.

* * *

"AAAAWWW YEAH, who's the man?" The mechanical man howled while dancing on the top of the booth where he had previously fallen unconscious. He smiled belligerently and flexed; the crowd surrounding him cheered and hooted, eating up the robotic man's display of rowdiness. Seldom did anyone get the chance to see a bona fide Teen Titan in such a festive state! Cyborg was clearly having the night of his life.

"Cyborg, I think you should seriously consider getting down from there," Raven suggested in a rather irritated tone. She sat with her legs crossed in a booth below him, attempting to concurrently keep calm and keep the robot from causing any wreckage to the bar.

The changeling slouched in the booth next to the empath, hanging onto her shoulder with his left arm, still half asleep. "Mmmm, he's just havin' some fuuuun," he cooed in her ear. She countered his defense with a disgruntled look. Merely giggling off her displeased mood, he pushed her patience further. "Ya know, Rae, you're pretty even when you scowl."

Raven responded with a goaded groan and a slight shove, effectively removing the green teen from clinging to her body. Beast Boy, dangerously intruding on the sorceress's personal space, was proving to be an added nuisance to the grey girl. It was impressive that she had yet to strike either of the bacchanalian men. All the while, Cyborg continued to dance perilously atop the table.

"What's going on here?" A demanding and defiant voice came from the crowd, belonging to none other than the leader of the Titans. Starfire followed close in suit, apprehension covering the corners of her expression.

"Please," Raven grumbled, standing with the green boy once more in her arms, "_Take_him before I allow myself to destroy him." With another heave, she propelled the asinine adolescent into the amber arms of the princess. A tidal wave of anger rushed through the Boy Wonder upon seeing the youngest member of his superhero team intoxicated. For a brief moment, the masked leader's face turned visibly red.

Before the wave of fury crashed, however, Robin stopped short, noticing his robotic friend still dancing atop the booth's table Egyptian-style. The large crowd continued to go wild for hero's attention. Choosing to avoid a public confrontation, Robin pleaded with his friend. "C'mon, Cy!" Not wanting to embarrass the elder's reputation nor discourage him from obeying his pleas, he treaded artfully with his words. "I bet you can't beat me at three rounds of Kung Fu Kombat 4."

Instantaneously, Cyborg turned his full attention to the licorice-haired hero. "Is that a bet, little man?!" With a booming _thud_, he leapt from the tabletop and landed in front of the masked hero, staggering slightly. "I'ma happily whoop yo punk ass," he announced while Robin clutched onto his robotic arm in order to keep him balanced upright. The crowd of strangers let out another cheer.

"Raven and I shall assist Friend Beast Boy to his bed," offered Starfire respectfully, still clinging to the green teen. A content grin plastered to the changeling's face. Robin nodded his thanks to the girls, wishing them goodnight and good luck as Raven opened up a dark portal to expedite their voyage back to their bedrooms. It swallowed them whole.

Turning to the crowd – which was thankfully already dissipating – Robin bid the strangers an ill-mannered farewell. "Nothing left to see here, folks," the masked man beckoned, scooting past the crowd while walking arm-in-arm with Cyborg towards the exit of the Tiki Bar. The half-man half-robot waved dramatically to his new swarm of friends, who sure looked disappointed to see him go.

For a few minutes, the masked man focused on nothing more than returning Cyborg to his room for the night. However, as the elevator _dinged _its arrival, Robin could not enclose the forthcoming explosion any longer. Heaving exhaustedly into the wind as the pair of heroes embarked on their elevator journey, he glared furiously at his friend. "Way to go, Cyborg," he said scathingly, with bitterness dripping from his daggered tongue. "Tonight you drank alcohol underage, set a horrible example for your best friend who similarly broke the law, and nearly managed to ruin the reputation of superheroes everywhere. I hope you're happy."

Cyborg blinked heavily at his leader for a few minutes before burping loudly. Robin turned away in disgust as the mechanical man finally replied. "I turn twenty-one in like a month, dawg," he began with an apologetic tone in his voice. His syllables were still slightly slurred, but Cyborg worked to compose himself. "Trust me, I wasn't outta control tonight. I was careful."

"Could've fooled me," the masked hero retorted harshly.

"Man, cool it. I've just been actin' loose."

Noting that he could now stand perfectly straight on his own, Robin let go of Cyborg's arm and looked at him in quizzically, still relatively irate. "Why?"

"Because it's been fun," Cyborg sighed. "We never get to relax! It's been nice to unwind and be a normal guy."

Robin sighed as well. "Fine," the masked wonder heaved. "But did you really have to dance on top of the table like a drunken girl at her bachelorette party?"

At this, Cyborg erupted into a fit of laughter. The air within the elevator seemed to grow somewhat less tense; Robin was beginning for forgive him. As the doors to the twelfth floor opened, the boys poured out of the metal cage and the mechanical man gave a hearty pat to the Boy Wonder's back. "And man, don't worry about BB. He was drinkin' non-alcoholic iced tea tonight."

"What?! But I know I heard him order –"

"I pulled Cassandra aside and changed BB's order."

The Boy Wonder's mouth stood agape for a few long moments. He stared at his robotic friend with perplexity and awe as they reached their rooms down the long corridor. "Then why was Beast Boy acting all…" The specific words eluded him.

Cyborg briefly fiddled with the key to his bedroom and opened the door. He turned to his masked leader and flashed a crafty grin. "Ever heard of the placebo effect? Besides, thinkin' that he was a little tipsy musta given the green bean an excuse to cut loose." With that said, he wiggled his eyebrow artfully and retreated back into his bedroom for the night. The early hours of the morning and the buzz in his brain urged him to hit the sack.

Robin shook his head, a sly smile forming on the corners of lips. He couldn't help but cut Cyborg slack; the man knew how to have fun and still remain responsible. The most admirable part was that the mechanical man truly didn't give a damn about what the public might think about him. He knew how to separate his life as a hero and his life as a young man.

"Hey Cy?" The acrobatic wonder called quietly before returning to his own room. Cyborg peaked his head out from behind the door with an inquisitive expression, the exhaustion on his face instantly recognizable. Robin scratched the back of his head. "Tonight was fun, but I still don't think it's a great idea for –"

The mechanical man shook his head. "Don't worry, Rob. No more alcohol for me until I turn twenty-one." A wave of relief momentarily washed over the masked teen's expression. The Boy Wonder opened his mouth to speak once more, but Cyborg cut him off. "And I'll make sure BB does the same."

An inimitable appreciative smile appeared on Robin's face. "Thanks." As the final syllables rolled off the masked wonder's tongue, he slowly started his withdrawal back to the sanctity of his bedroom. Right before the robotic man's door clicked shut, a notion popped into his mind and he called out into the corridor one more.

"Are you ever gonna tell Beast Boy that he didn't actually have alcohol tonight?"

From behind the nearly-closed door, Robin could hear a stifled chuckle. A small smirk formed once again on the leader's lips as the mechanical man responded. "_Hell _no."

* * *

Author's Notes: Let it be known that I'm in no way condoning underage drinking! I'm legitimately just writing this story with the mindset of "The Titans having fun on vacation" - ya know, totally light-hearted. :)** PLEASE REVIEW**. IT MOTIVATES ME TO UPDATE. Plus I respond to each one individually! Thank you!

PS - Expect an update in a week or two minimum. I have finals and huge assignments due right now, so the next update will be slightly delayed.


	4. Test the Waters

**Author's Note:** _Hey, everyone. I'm sorry it's taken so long to finish this chapter. I recognize that I am a horrible person and do not plan to disappoint you like that again! :) Fair warning, this chapter is 100% fluff until the end. Though, I suppose the majority of the fic is fluff, so I hope your expectations for a heavy plot line aren't too high. ;) Also, Cy doesn't get too much lovin' in this chapter, but I'm sure he will soon. And big thanks to my friend Joe for suggesting the wording of Raven's threat.  
_  
**Disclaimer:** _I don't own the Titans. Duh._

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Test the Waters**

* * *

The Titans happily slept until the early afternoon, as if each of their bodies had subconsciously recognized that they were now on vacation and could relax. For once, they weren't bound to any necessary schedule; they could reasonably rely on the fact that there'd be no dawn-to-dusk training exercises force-fed to them by their over-zealous leader, no emergency calls, no super villains or insane criminals or petty crimes, and no pressing hero responsibilities. They were free, if but for a short time, to do as they pleased and unwind.

Raven rolled over in her bed and moaned softly with happiness. Truthfully, her internal clock typically served as her "alarm clock", and last night, she'd gone to bed knowing well that no internal alarm setting would be required. Slowly she stretched her arms and uncurled her legs, enjoying the peaceful awakening as her smooth violet hair fell messily across her periwinkle floral bedspread. Peeking an eye open, her surroundings slowly came into focus. A definitive light blanketed the girls' room, though it felt far from sunny or warm. Finally rubbing the sleep from her eyelids, she peered around and noticed her amber-skinned best friend lounging cozily on the window sill to the right of her bed, staring expressionlessly out at gray skies and rolling waves in the distance.

"Hey," Raven mumbled, a combination of satisfaction and fatigue present within her voice as she sat up. She fixed her indigo shirt and black shorts before rubbing her neck and looking around. "Did I actually sleep in?"

Starfire nodded lightly in response, her focus still on the waves. Raven quietly noted that she was wearing a pair of denim shorts accompanied by an oversized gray sweater that eerily matched the hue of the outside world. There were no doubts concerning who the sweater might belong to; a vibrant, crimson 'R' was encrusted onto it. Starfire turned to face the empath, her expression growing somewhat brighter as she met her eyes. "Good morrow, friend. Yes, we all have seemed to do the 'sleeping in'. It is after noon." Her harlequin eyes flashed briskly back towards the window before she spoke once more. "I do not believe it is the finest of days for outside activity."

Tossing the covers from her body, Raven lazily removed herself from her bed and sauntered towards where Starfire was seated. They gazed out together in silence for a few moments before the empath responded. "I'm not much of a beach person, anyway." The Tamaranean did not utter a word in response – an unusual and unsettling occurrence. Raven could feel a longing sorrow encompassing the princess's aura. Her lilac eyes studied Starfire inquisitively for another silent minute before she decided to express her concern. The sorceress's voice was still weighed with fatigue and noticeably more raspy than normal. "You alright?"

"Yes," Starfire responded halfheartedly, looking down at her finger nails. "I believe I am experiencing what Earthlings refer to as the 'nostalgia'." The boundless energy conventionally present within the princess was conspicuously absent, her words hanging in the atmosphere rather wistfully. "We do not have such a word on Tamaran."

The empath nodded her head in understanding. The two possessed a very close bond; Starfire was well accustomed to Raven's empathetic abilities, and so she did not ever attempt to hide behind a fake smile for her friend. In truth, the sorceress was thankful for Starfire's honest and complacent personality when confronted with direct questions. It was refreshing, and made emotional ordeals much less difficult to discern. A very harsh contrast from how Robin preferred to deal with things.

The empath pressed forward. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

Starfire shook her head. "The feeling will pass. Thank you, Raven." The sorceress smiled briefly in response before an impatient pounding was heard at their door.

A muffled voice yelled through the mahogany doorframe. "Girls, wake up! We need Rae's help getting Cy!" Looking back to Starfire to make sure she was alright, both with the sudden guest and with her nostalgia, Raven received a nod of approval and walked towards the door.

An irritated huff escaped the empath's lips as she and opened it, revealing a pajama-clad Beast Boy… Or, more accurately, Beast Boy wearing a wife beater and boxers. His boxers depicted a juvenile and out-of-season scene of reindeer playing poker. His grassy hair stuck up in various odd directions, a tell-tale sign that he'd just woken up as well.

"Sorry to wake you ladies," he lied, a toothy grin flashing in their direction as Raven crossed her arms. She allowed him to cross in front of her and enter their room. He greeted Starfire with a cheerful smile and wave, and silently noticed Starfire's 'R' sweater as well, but decided it was a topic better left unspoken. Beast Boy turned back to the sorceress, now addressing her. "Cy's locked his door and won't come out 'cuz he's pissed about the weather. I think he was pretty set on heading to the beach. Wanna teleport in there and get him out for us so we can finally grab some food?"

"We were awake already," Raven responded to the changeling, looking at him peculiarly and ignoring the majority of his inquiry. Arms still folded mercilessly, her amethyst eyes squared off momentarily with his evergreen pair. "Um," she began steadily, her usual monotone now accompanied with one of subtle, good-natured mockery, "_Why_aren't you wearing pants?"

"I, uh…" Beast Boy looked down at his attire – or lack thereof – as his face grew sheepishly red, and then let out a nervous cackle. "I dunno. I didn't think about it." A speedy burst of confidence coursed through him. He waggled his eyebrows inappropriately at the empath while shaking his hips. "Why, Rae? Ya _like?_"

A repressed giggle came from Starfire who was now standing behind the empath as her face flushed pink and her expression tightened. As Raven unfolded her arms, her eyes flashed white in warning. This caused the changeling to abruptly transform into a hummingbird and dart back down the hallway, still cackling wildly and retreating into his and Robin's bedroom. A sigh escaped the sorceress – who, for the record, did not even attempt to follow Beast Boy – and she slowly closed the door and embarrassedly looked towards the princess, her face still glowing cerise. "I'm going to strangle him with his own shadow."

"No, you are not," Starfire teased lightly, still giggling and now walking around their room and picking out articles of clothing for Raven to change into. Whenever the empath was expected to wear civilian clothing, her Tamaranean friend often took the initiative to choose her daily outfits. Starfire knew Raven's casual style quite well, and furthermore, she knew that if she didn't pick out the clothes for her, Raven would simply wear her cloak. Cyborg had asked the Titans to look as "normal" as possible on their vacation, and Starfire planned to concede to his wishes. Remaining in a playfully teasing tone, Starfire threw a pair of dark wash jeans and an airy midnight blue sweater in the direction of the sorceress. Her voice and body language could not conceal the slight teasing still present in her tone. "You appreciate when friend Beast Boy engages in the 'flirting' with you, even if you do not admit it or do the flirting in return."

Raven froze, allowing the clothes that Starfire had thrown her way to fall haphazardly on her face. After a moment, she removed the clothes from her head, her expression now glowing the most brilliant shade of carnation that Starfire had ever seen. The princess stood with her hand on her hip, the expression on her face blooming with unwavering boldness; unlike the changeling, Starfire's teasing did not risk her any sort of bodily harm and she _knew _it. The empath exhaled another breath of embarrassment and began dressing. Her voice rang deadpan, as usual, but the princess could tell that the sorceress had withdrawn. "Arguing with you is pointless," she remarked flatly.

"Yes," agreed the princess, though Raven had intended her statement as more of an observation than query. Above Starfire, a light bulb flickered fleetingly, and the princess giggled once more. "Do not fret, Raven! It is the natural intuition of females that grants me this knowledge. Furthermore, I simply know you well. I realize that if you truly desired Beast Boy to cease in the flirtation, he would have received this message long ago."

Raven could do nothing but groan unhappily in response, rubbing her temples in exasperation. The first few moments of the afternoon had seemed so promising. "I'm going to have an aneurysm if we continue this conversation."

"I know for certain that neither Cyborg nor Robin is aware that Beast Boy is engaging in the flirting," the princess pointed out, obviously instigating the conversation. "If either of them had noticed, they would surely have vocalized their knowledge. The boys must believe him to be simply joking. It appears likely that even Beast Boy himself does not recognize that you enjoy the flirtatio–"

"_Tolerate_," Raven corrected, still rubbing her temples as the light bulb above the princess's head flickered more violently. She noted to herself that she hadn't meditated in nearly twenty-four hours now, and that she'd likely need to excuse herself to do so soon. "I _tolerate _the… um, his…" She cleared her throat, now fully dressed, and utilized her telekinesis to carefully unscrew the light bulb from its socket and place it gently on the bed, far from danger. Pink still adorned her conventionally pale cheeks. "I tolerate it. Nothing more."

Smiling coyly, the Tamaranean goddess spun merrily towards the door and opened it widely. Her spirits had surely been lifted; the nostalgia now merely a thing of the past. As she stepped out into the hallway, she winked towards her friend. "Precisely who are you attempting to convince?" The sorceress did not grant her friend a response beyond another exasperated groan.

* * *

After Raven had reluctantly retrieved a slightly-hungover Cyborg from the depths of his room, the female Titans and the mechanical man headed together down the hall in order to fetch Robin and Beast Boy. "Ya'll better be ready for lunch," Cyborg boomed through the door, his voice filled with impatience. "Seein' as I was so _rudely _woken up," he added, sending a mild glare at the expressionless sorceress.

"Not sorry," she replied flatly as the door to the boys' room opened. Beast Boy, now thankfully fully clothed in a fuchsia t-shirt and tan cargo shorts, walked out first while still cackling to himself, blatantly brushing off the sinister glower emanating from Raven. She swatted at him and he playfully jumped away, smilingly effervescently. Starfire took notice of the exchange and giggled lightly to herself, a gesture not gone unnoticed by the empath. Raven's cheeks once again grew a subtle orchid hue. The light above the boys' room flickered inconspicuously. Robin followed casually behind the changeling wearing dark blue jeans and a short-sleeved plaid crimson shirt, as well as his signature mask.

"G'morning team," the masked leader sang blankly into the air, not paying a cent of attention towards anything in particular. "I bet you're all happy you didn't have to wake up for an early training ses–" Pausing dramatically as his eyes fell to Starfire, his voice cracked as he couldn't help but change the subject. "Is that my sweater?"

All eyes turned to the princess. Not even bothering to look down at her attire, she responded with a tone of mild defiance. "I believe you are mistaken."

Robin gazed incredulously at the crimson 'R' stitched onto the upper left breast of the sweater. The gray article of clothing was far too large on the princess. "But…"

Starfire swiftly cut him off. Her voice was sharp, though not unfriendly. "This sweater was gifted to me many months ago by an old lover whom I feel no animosity towards. Would you prefer I change?"

Unsure of whether she was referring to her attitude or the sweater, Robin dared not speak a word. The rest of the Titans stared wide-eyed at the pair, trying to find an appropriate way to interrupt the stress of the situation. The tension was so thick and distracting that not a single Titan had bothered to notice Mr. McDowell approaching from behind. The entrance of his voice caused the group surprise. "Greetings, young heroes. Lunch awaits you in the dining hall."

He looked as if he was busy; perhaps on his way elsewhere. Immediately, Starfire's disposition changed. "Thank you, friend McDowell!" she beamed brightly. "Would you like to join us in consuming lunch?"

Robin welcomed the interruption and took this opportunity to plant himself as far away from Starfire as possible, hiding humbly behind Cyborg at the front of the pack. He had no intention of pursuing or continuing the previous subject, especially whilst his friends were around. Meanwhile, McDowell's expression softened greatly at the words of the princess. He was still not accustomed to her overwhelmingly warm-hearted nature. "Thank you, Miss Starfire, but I can't join you at the moment. Perhaps another time. Please, Titans, enjoy your meals." With that, the well-mannered bellhop was on his way.

The Titans found their way to the dining hall easily. Robin was still rather uneasy about confronting Starfire or having to deal with any topics that might prove to turn out poorly for him, especially while in the company of his friends, so he sat on the far left side of the table with Cyborg on his right. Across from them sat Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy. Admittedly, the seating arrangement felt fairly awkward.

Cyborg, still somewhat-hungover, hadn't offered many words during the meal, instead opting to devour four plates of food. Raven had seemed for whatever reason to be avidly avoiding conversation and was reading a novel on her lap. Starfire and Beast Boy engaged in placid banter and repartee, but the majority of the meal was eaten in relative silence.

"So," Robin began after their meals had been consumed, ignoring the bizarre tension that surrounded the atmosphere of the table. "What are we gonna do today if we can't head down to the beach?"

"I don't care what none of ya'll do," responded the mechanical man as he pushed himself up from the table. "I'ma spend my day relaxin'. I need some _me _time." He smiled cheekily at his friends. "Let's meet later for a movie or somethin' if the weather's still crap." Without another word, Cyborg meandered away from the Titans' table, leaving the others with nothing but confused looks. To balance out the spacing of the seats, Beast Boy got up and moved next to Robin.

"Dude, the brochure mentioned there's a wicked arcade somewhere downstairs," the changeling offered to his masked leader, who in return appeared to be mildly interested at best.

The amber skinned princess looked inquisitively to the empath at her right. "Raven, perhaps you and I should venture to the pool of swimming?" Instantaneously, the boys' faces brightened and Beast Boy's ears perked up.

The empath rolled her eyes. "I'm not too big on swimming."

"Then you could bring along your book!" Starfire's excitement was clear as she batted her eyelashes pleadingly with her friend. "Oh, you must come, Raven! You can even choose to meditate if you wish. I will not be bothersome, and I assure you that the afternoon will be nothing short of glorious."

The empath huffed a sigh of forfeit, knowing she had no chance in arguing with the princess. Besides, at the moment, she'd truthfully rather read her book or meditate in Starfire's company than be dragged elsewhere. "Only if you behave," she muttered, faintly referencing their conversation from earlier. Her statement received a giddied and mischievous look from Starfire and confused glances from the boys.

"Let us fetch our suits of swimming," Starfire exclaimed, floating up from the table. "I have packed a suit for you as well, Raven."

Almost inaudibly, Raven muttered in response. "It better be something vastly different than what you wear swimming, because we both know that's _not _happening."

"I'll grab my trunks!" Beast Boy had already stood from the table and looked like he was about to dash towards the elevators.

The Tamaranean cut him off before he could move far from the table. She spoke brusquely as she looped her arm through Raven's and they began walking. "Excuse me, Beast Boy, but I am afraid that this excursion will be that of a 'girl's day'. Tonight we shall proceed in the group 'hanging out', but for now, I require Raven's assistance."

Beast Boy's ears drooped instantly, as did Robin's expression. The female Titans did not turn to look back at the table. The Boy Wonder was the first to pipe up as he and the changeling watched as the girls walked back towards their room arm-in-arm. "Think she's avoiding me?"

The green teen seemed to contemplate the idea to himself for a moment before patting Robin on the back. "She's just playing the same game you are, dude."

"Don't know what that's supposed to mean," Robin replied curtly with a hint of defensiveness as he stood from his seat.

"Yeah, sure," Beast Boy responded dismissively, already walking towards the exit. "Arcade?" he questioned, motioning for the masked hero to follow.

"Yeah," he sighed, wanting to get his mind off the princess, "Sure."

* * *

Beast Boy and Robin spent the afternoon in the arcade, making a point to try every one of the games at least once. At first the masked wonder's spirits seemed to be rather low and his mind wandered constantly back to the Tamaranean princess. This was to be expected, of course, and Beast Boy was well aware of it. The changeling made a conscious effort to lift Robin's mood as much as possible throughout their arcade adventure. Eventually, the green teen's cackling proved to be contagious, and soon enough the Boy Wonder was enjoying himself.

Despite the slight estrangement between the two when they were in their younger years, Beast Boy and Robin had formed a solid "bromance" since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil. Though still quite overly-passionate, neurotic, and compulsive, Robin had learned the pleasures of slowing down and unwinding a bit more with his friends on many occasions, which helped him form a calmer friendship with the changeling. Aside from the habitual and intense bi-weekly Gamestation sessions, the masked hero would often accompany the green teen to the releases of various films (horror, indie, comedy, action – you name it) as they debuted, and had astonishingly formed a firm appreciation for most of the changeling's comic book and manga collection.

Beast Boy had also acquired a taste for a few of Robin's hobbies; he was a valuable asset to the Boy Wonder when it came to following leads on cases that the other Titans had no interest in, for the green teen could be surprisingly observant when he wanted to be and could often provide a fresh perspective. (And as a sentient hound, he proved to be irreplaceable when it came to tracking any sort of scents). Additionally, second to only Robin, Beast Boy was also the Titan to spend the most time in the gym, working on his forms and maneuverability on the training courses while shape-shifting rapidly. The changeling and the acrobatic became excellent partners whenever sparring was required.

It was also easier for the green teen and the Boy Wonder to confide in one-another about mildly serious topics than one might have expected. While Robin had preferred to talk about serious matters with Starfire for the majority of their time as Titans, he no longer found himself able to. Recently, they were rarely on quality speaking terms. He knew he could divulge anything in Raven, but she admittedly had been spending a lot more time alongside the Tamaranean princess. Cyborg, though always willing to talk, was often busy modifying the equipment and electronics around the Tower. (And when he wasn't, his go-to response for the masked hero was usually, "Grow a pair and talk to Star".) Beast Boy proved to be an unexpectedly understanding friend to go to when he needed to take his mind off something or work through it. Similarly, Robin knew how to approach subjects in a light-hearted manner that the changeling could appreciate if he ever came to him for advice.

Enthralled in their respective games side-by-side, Robin was currently behind the handlebars of a motorcycle racing game, fervently attempting to get a new high score. Meanwhile, Beast Boy was behind the barrel of a bright orange rifle, shooting at the scientists instead of the deadly velociraptors from a classic Jurassic Park game. They'd been in the arcade for a handful of hours. It was then that the changeling decided that it was a good opportunity to nonchalantly press upon a subject that had been irking at his brain.

"Dude?" Beast Boy began, putting the rifle down and stepping away from the dinosaurs.

"What's up?"

The changeling could hear in Robin's voice that he was concentrating diligently. He formulated his words slowly and watchfully, not wanting to break the masked hero's concentration and ruin his game. "I was thinking…"

"Oh, geez," Robin scoffed jokingly, "This can't be good." He revved the handlebars of the motorcycle and pulled back, performing a wheelie and a simultaneous speed boost. He edged past the other racers into first place and cheered under his breath.

He watched as Robin began to swerve in between cars of oncoming traffic, apparently looking for a hidden shortcut. "So…." The green teen continued, speaking slowly in order to time his question in between the more intense moments where Robin might get distracted. "Have you, uhh, noticed anything weird going on with Raven lately?"

Robin was silent for an instant. Beast Boy couldn't tell if it was because the Boy Wonder was considering his inquiry or merely distracted. He finally grunted. "Like what?"

"Well, she's…" Before the changeling could finish, Robin was once again maneuvering wildly between cars, attention fully focused on the game. Beast Boy sighed to himself, ready to dismiss the topic entirely; he had a gut feeling that suggested the Boy Wonder would not be of much help anyway. A few seconds later, Robin had beaten the level in record time and donned a smug, satisfied grin. He now held the highest score for every single course in the game.

Getting up from the motorcycle, the masked leader checked his communicator. "It's almost seven," he noted mindlessly, wanting to end his arcade run on a good note and not get wrapped up in another game. "Wanna head back upstairs soon and see where Cy and the girls are?"

"Yep," Beast Boy responded, retrieving his communicator from his pocket.

Robin began walking towards the exit of the arcade before glancing at the changeling over his shoulder. "_What _were you just saying about Raven?"

"Eh, it's nothing," he responded mildly, while simultaneously sending a quick text to Cyborg. "I texted Chrome Dome to see where he's at." He scratched his chin thoughtfully before letting out a grin. "I think I'm feeling that movie suggestion tonight. What about you?"

"Beast Boy," Robin said sternly, now turning to the green teen and stopping him dead in his tracks. The masked leader was now glaring at him. His expression betrayed restrained hints of concern and skepticism. "What's up?" he said, his pitch noticeably more accusatory than inquisitive.

The changeling's grassy eyes met with Robin. Having any sort of serious conversation with him admittedly felt impersonal and inconsequential when he hid behind his mask. As he responded, Beast Boy's face embellished a perplexed expression. "Why do you think Rae hasn't, like, skinned me alive yet, or sent me to some demonic dimension?"

The question seemed odd, even for Beast Boy. The acrobatic hero about-faced and began walking in the direction of the exit once more, crossing his arms. He shook his head, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

"I've been purposely going outta my way to torment her lately." They were now en route back towards their room. "She hasn't even seemed to notice!"

Beast Boy had caught up to Robin's pace. The masked hero looked through the corner of his eye towards the changeling with a look of authoritative puzzlement on his face. "_Why _would you ever feel the need to tease her more?"

"Because I'm trying to crack her," Beast Boy responded matter-of-factly. If Robin hadn't known better, he could've sworn there was also a hint of pride in the green teen's voice and stance.

"_WHY?_" he asked incredulously, his face now fully angled towards the changeling. "Do you have some sort of death wish?" He pointed accusingly at Beast Boy, seriousness now abundant in his posture, expression, and tone. "Should I be contacting a professional?"

Pushing open the doors of the arcade, Beast Boy brushed the Boy Wonder's accusing finger out of his way. "Nah, man, I actually just wanna learn my boundaries with her, ya know? I wanna try to find the line between ragging on her and pissing her off." He inhaled before continuing. "I know when to stop bugging you. Cy's got a pretty high tolerance for dealing with me. And Star doesn't have any boundaries. But Rae? She's always had, like, no patience for anything, especially me. But I've been trying to figure out lately exactly _where_her boundaries are, and all the sudden, it's like I've totally lost 'em."

As the words rolled off his tongue, Beast Boy noticed Robin stop abruptly in his tracks. He turned to find the acrobat staring at him disbelievingly, his mouth hung slightly agape. The changeling regarded him inquisitively. "What's so weird about that?"

"You mean, aside from the fact that you're trying to respect Raven's boundaries in a really, really twisted and masochistic way?"

Beast Boy turned around defensively, crossing his arms and marching forward into the lobby of the White Sands. "Aw, come on, it's not that weird! I'm just trying to be a _NICE _guy." He smiled sheepishly. "Don't want her hating me."

"Since when have you cared if she hated you?"

"Since always."

"Well, you know she doesn't."

"_WELL_, I know she used to."

The Boy Wonder let out a huff of disbelief. "Let me see if I understand your reasoning," Robin responded with a cutting, snarky tone while slamming the elevator button in the lobby. "In order to make sure she doesn't hate you, you're going to harass her until she breaks down."

The changeling outstretched his arms out to his side in protest. "Not **_HARASS _**her," he exclaimed, "…Just push her buttons a little. You know, testing the waters or whatever." To accentuate his point, he morphed his arms into fins and made a disturbingly realistic 'fishy face' for a not-brief-enough moment.

"You're making no sense right now, man," Robin muttered while chuckling a bit to himself.

Beast Boy snorted in playful mockery. "Like I'm gonna take any sorta lady advice from the Boy Blunder, anyway."

"Uh, _'scuse _me?" Robin said with one hand on his hip and one pointing at the changeling, challenging him in good nature. "Which one of us here dated an alien princess for over two years? I believe that was me."

The elevator doors _dinged_ their arrival. "_'Was' _is the key word in that statement, dude!"

"Not cool," the masked wonder stated with joking defiance, pointing his noise into the air and stepping into the elevator. "We're done here."

Beast Boy shook his head and cackled momentarily. "You're seriously no help at all."

Robin smiled deviously. "I know."

* * *

Starfire had spent the majority of the afternoon swimming graciously and back-floating nonchalantly in the deep end of the Olympic-sized swimming pool, her long red hair drifting behind her on the water's surface like cinnabar silk. The art of swimming was much like flight to the Tamaranean girl, and so it always thoroughly calmed her. It often tended to fill her with exuberance as well, but today, she was swimming alone – her midnight blue-clad friend far off to the side of a Jacuzzi – and the nostalgia bug quickly bit her once more.

Early in the evening, company joined the female Titans in at the pool. Several children accompanied by their families were currently cannonball-ing and diving into the pool nearer the other end, squealing with laughter and merriment. Seeing such youthful spirits invigorated Starfire, and soon, their warm attitudes and friendly smiles proved to be contagious. However, shortly after the hoards of families arrived, the Tamaranean goddess could not help but draw attention to her alien ethnicity while dressed in her alluring purple two-piece; the abundance of exposed tangerine skin made her superhero identity undeniably obvious, which terrified some of the parents. Starfire had learned throughout the past few years that many humans were not yet tolerant (never mind trusting) of alien citizens, hero or not. Raven suggested that perhaps it would be better if the princess simply lounged in one of the hot tubs off to the side, nearer to where she was at present seated reading her novel.

The empath had forgotten how little patience she held for the squeals and splashes of young children. Though she'd accepted Melvin, Timmy, and Teether into her heart as family, Raven was still hardly tolerant when it came to enduring the presence of children near a public swimming pool; it was as if they became rabid at the sight of pool water. As Starfire made her way over to where the empath was loafing and dipped her toes into the Jacuzzi, the sorceress heard a chorus of playful shrieks and instinctively covered her book with her body, barely protecting it from the splash of chlorine that drenched her.

"Can't handle this," she muttered through gritted teeth, while water dripped down her shoulder. Wearing a humble midnight-colored one-piece that closely resembled her conventional leotard (though sleeveless), she inspected the binding of the book for water damage. Sighing a bit in relief once she noted that her novel had been spared, she turned her attention to the princess. "How's the nostalgia coming along?"

Starfire was already seated comfortably in the hot tub, and as Raven spoke, her harlequin eyes flicked up to meet violet ones and then returned to the steam emitting from the water. "I apologize. I occasionally forget that you can feel what I feel."

The empath tucked her book closely underneath her arm and turned her body in towards the hot tub, placing her feet just under the temperate and bubbling surface. At first, the temperature change burned her, and she retracted her feet. After a few minutes, however, the heat of the hot tub became soothing rather than scorching, and her toes returned to the water. This was as far 'in' to the Jacuzzi as she was going to get. "Spill," Raven said. Her tone was far from demanding, but Starfire could tell it was nonetheless stern.

"I just…" The princess let out a long sigh and shook her head. Currently, words were failing her. Another extended pause occurred before Starfire began speaking again. "I fear the _rekmas _has truly begun between Robin and I. It may be irreversible." Her heart ached as she said it.

And Raven could feel it, too. "Why don't you try talking to him? You could try to –"

"I have already said all that I can say to him," Starfire interrupted, her voice rising slightly. The following words escaped with difficulty and disparagement as she fought back tears. "He understands my feelings for him. He recognizes why we have not been functioning as a romantic couple; I require an emotional connection, and Robin is a master at the 'shutting me out'." She sighed, her heart weighing down heavily within her chest. "I believe that Cyborg would say that the metaphorical ball is now in Robin's court."

Raven studied her for a while before speaking up. "You're right," she said simply. Starfire met her gaze with hopeful eyes as the empath continued, smiling very lightly in return. "It's on Robin to fix this… As long as you're willing to open your heart up to him again."

The princess's eyes glowed with prospect and reverie as she too allowed a small smile to adorn her lips. "Oh, of course I am. Raven, Tamaraeans love for the duration of our lifetimes. My heart will always be open for him. It… has always been."

The empath could feel the love and allegiance swelling within and around the princess. It oozed from her amber skin and surrounded Raven's entire body, making her even warmer than the hot tub currently was. It sizzled on her skin, igniting her bones in a balmy chill. "Wow," she breathed.

Starfire smiled calculatingly at her friend. "I apologize again. It is difficult for Tamaraeans to contain our emotions. We are taught to keep them unbridled and harness their strength."

Raven nodded, already aware of this. She let out a single, sarcastic laugh. "If I felt what you do on a daily basis, Jump City would be out of light bulbs."

Though she'd meant for her comment to be comical, the princess did not take it as such. Her smile faded instantly, locking her springtime eyes with lilac ones. Starfire's stare was unwavering. "I do not agree, Raven." The empath tried to pull her eyes away, but she found herself unable. The princess pressed onward. "You _do_ feel what I do. I know that you do. Your meditation does not _remove _your emotions; it merely allows you to filter through them more carefully."

"I know that," Raven responded instantly with flatness, already not fond of this subject.

"Do you?" Starfire asked with a stridently accusatory tone. The sorceress felt that the princess's eyes could currently melt nebulae with their intensity alone. "Do you recognize that you are free to feel as you please? You must remain consistent with your meditation, but neither rage nor your father now dictate your emotions as they once might have."

Raven let a groan escape her throat. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because," the princess declared triumphantly, "You are smitten over–"

"Don't you _dare _complete that sentence."

Starfire giggled as she stood from the Jacuzzi and wrapped a towel around her form. It had grown dark outside, the sun's rays now entirely hidden behind the horizon of summertime, and surely the male Titans would soon be planning an outing for this evening. A shower was in the princess's immediate future. She wrung out her hair in her hands, now saturated with chlorine. She smiled cheekily at Raven. "You are unable to convince me otherwise."

This was something that the sorceress was already aware of. She folded her arms around herself protectively, her voice growing serious and self-conscious. "I can't just teach myself how to express emotion overnight, Starfire."

The princess regarded Raven sideways, floating up to her and lifting her from the ground so she was now standing alongside the princess. "It has been over two years since our victory over Trigon," she noted softly.

"And I spent my first sixteen years alive trying to not feel anything at all," Raven snapped, wishing she'd never brought herself into the conversation. Her novel was tucked underneath her arm. She sighed frustratingly and rubbed her temples as she walked alongside Starfire, who floated in the direction of the exit.

Starfire turned to Raven, her patience resolute. "I have a question which I would like you to consider acutely before you respond."

The empath only groaned in response.

"In the sixteen years you spent attempting to ignore the existence of your emotions, were you successful?"

"Hmm?" Raven glanced at her with an expression of bewilderment, her eyebrows arched unevenly, evidently unsure of where this line of questioning was heading.

Starfire amended her phrasing. "Did you truly feel nothing for the first sixteen years of your life?"

Raven was determined to cut this conversation short. "Yes," she lied stubbornly.

"Nothing at all…?" Starfire inquired, knowing well that her friend was being dishonest.

Another groan escaped as the exit doors to the pool opened automatically for the pair. The empath now kept her eyes glued to the binding of her book, which her tender gray hands currently clasped with a death-grip. "Why are you asking?"

"I am trying to show you that you already know how to feel," the princess explained knowingly, extending an arm around Raven's shoulder. "You just require some practice in how to _express _yourself. I believe a 'testing of the waters' is necessary."

"But –"

"And I know that you are hesitant because you are afraid, perhaps terrified, of the possibility of rejection. But you should not be."

Raven's feet faltered as she tripped over herself. Her cheeks were once again a brilliant carnation hue for the third occasion today. This time, she could not bring her eyes to meet with the Tamaranean's. Instead, she retracted her arms from underneath the princess and slunk away faster towards the elevator. The wished desperately that she was wearing her cloak.

Starfire floated over to where Raven waited awkwardly for the elevator. "I am sorry for my blunt words, friend." The sorceress grunted in acknowledgement. Starfire did not want to perturb the empath any further, so her voice fell to a whisper. "You should know that I truly believe him to share your feelings."

Lilac eyes met springtime ones once more. They screamed all of her heart's questions at the princess. Raven said nothing aloud.

The elevator _dinged _and the two Titans sauntered in as the doors closed around them. When they were safely alone, Starfire turned once more to Raven. "He does not mind going out of his way to include you in activities. He takes special note of where you are situated in battle and does the 'freaking out' if you are to be injured. He is overprotective. He enjoys making the physical contact with you, however small. He makes many of the jokes and innuendos and flirtations towards you. He pretends to take pleasure in your tea. He worries excessively over what to gift you for your birthday and holidays. And he is always attempting to make you smile."

The warm sensation in Raven's cheeks spread throughout her abdomen. It matched the one Starfire had been emitting earlier near the Jacuzzi, albeit much softer. She clutched her book closer to her body, a minuscule smirk spreading across her face. Satisfaction was abundant in her voice. "Really?"

"Yes," Starfire replied, an oversized smile plastered to her amber expression. "And you are blind for not seeing it yourself or empathetically sensing it."

This was a very valid point. Raven made a mental note to pay special attention to the changeling's emotions the next time it was relevant. Starfire's mention of her empathetic abilities also reminded the sorceress of something she'd meant to mention earlier.

Stepping out of the elevator and walking towards their room, Raven said quite suddenly, "You know, he misses you a lot, Starfire."

The princess instantly stopped floating and swung towards the sorceress. Her voice was light but fraught. "Excuse me?"

Her voice returned to her usual deadpan. "He misses you. I can feel it from him every time he's near you. When we walked away from the table earlier today, he was dripping with emotion. He misses you a lot."

Shaking her head, Starfire continued floating. "Then why does he do nothing about it?"

Raven shrugged. "Guys are stupid."

"Yes," the princess concurred. "He is quite the 'dumbass'."

* * *

Cyborg stood from his seat in the sauna, bright white towels wrapped around his head and groin. He was whistling happily to himself, ignoring the occasional glances from other hotel guests as they exited before him. He'd spent the afternoon lounging in the spa, getting pampered by masseuses. He'd recently washed a forest-colored mud mask off his face, and as he walked, his hand was extended to his face, admiring its new-found smoothness. The irony of a cybernetic man spending the day in the spa and sauna was not lost on him; his massages had been somewhat futile, the sauna had begun to make him feel rusty after a mere ten minutes, and the mud bath he'd taken had done nothing but cause his robotic parts to grow slimy. However, Cyborg didn't care. He was determined to take advantage of the full spectrum of his vacation and _all _of the hotel's amenities.

Plus, even if the pampering hadn't done much for him physically, it had definitely relaxed his spirits. Wasn't that the whole point, anyway?

He reached for the handle of the sauna door. The sauna was now empty, aside from the presence of the half-man half-robot. Before his hand had gotten a firm hold on the handle, however, the door swung open in his face.

"Woah," Cyborg bellowed at the door narrowly missed his face. "Sorry, didn't –"

He froze in his tracks; the color ran from his human cheek. Fully in shock, the figure standing in the doorway let out a gasp as well. The mechanical man's eyes narrowed slightly as his voice grew uncompromising. Cyborg folded his arms.

"The hell are **_you_ **doin' here?"

* * *

**Author's note**: _And there's chapter 4 for you! Lots of emotional progress, which I thought was necessary after the RobStar sexual tension in the last chapter. Have fun with the cliffhanger, and please review!_

**Shameless plug:** _And if you haven't yet, you should totally be following my BB/Rae blog on tumblr: **chromaticallychallenged** (dot tumblr dot com, my friends)._


	5. Hot Air

Author's Note: This chapter was originally significantly longer, which may partially explain the overly-long wait in my updating. In fact, the chapter got so long (despite the fact that I had only been writing about _a single evening's events_) that I decided it'd be best if I split it up into two chapters.

I'm sorry it's taken me months to update. School has been chaotic and I've been trying to find an internship/job for the summer. Obviously that's no excuse, but with the recent premiere of _Teen Titans Go!_, my muse has joyously seemed to have returned. There **won't **be a three-month-long wait for the next chapter, I assure you, especially considering it's almost already complete.

And I apologize in advance if this chapter in particular (and perhaps the next one, as well) are relatively fluffy. In order to properly introduce the beginning over the overarching plot of the fic, a hefty amount of background information was required.

Review, please! I thrive on feedback!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. But Greg Cipes follows me on Twitter now, so that's definitely a step in the right direction!

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Hot Air**

* * *

Four Titans waited anxiously in the cramped and clammy theatre. The air was tense and uncomfortable, as if the warmth from the evening had somehow filtered in through cracks in the walls and worked its way into the chests of each of the heroes. Awkwardly they sat, staring blankly ahead at the screen in front of them.

The first Titan, donning a rather plain crimson shirt and gray jeans, tugged nervously at the corners of his trusted mask. It acted at this moment as the only item of comfort in the room. To his right sat a dark female with soft grey skin and a blank expression. Her arms were folded impatiently in front of her chest, concealing most of the blouse that matched the exact hue of the violet hair that fell inelegantly along her shoulders. On her other side, a tall girl lounged with slight pique, combing through her long scarlet locks with her delicate, amber fingers. Last but surely not least, a green-skinned boy snored loudly in his seat.

As the film finally began to roll its credits, the young adults stood one at a time, shaking the stiffness from their limbs. Gracelessly, they gathered their belongings and wordlessly planned their exit.

The violet-haired empath shoved the green teen as she crossed in front of him, marking her way to the exit. "Movie's over, Beast Boy. We're leaving," she announced as he stirred awake.

Sleep still heavily present in his voice, he blinked the relics of slumber from his eyes. "What happened? Did the werewolf score the girl?" He followed his friends from the dim theatre and tossed out the remnants of his snacks as he did so.

"Nah," the Boy Wonder responded, disparagement brimming in his voice. "The vampire did."

"La_aaa_me," Beast Boy scoffed in response.

As the Titans ventured back outside, the night's air greeted them with thick heat. "Dude," Beast Boy groaned, extending his arms and walking in front of his teammates, "I can't believe Cy ditched us. _He's _the one that suggested these shitty movie plans."

Robin shrugged, also silently irritated that the mechanical man had not joined them for the night's outing. "I guess he had better stuff to do."

"Can you really blame him?" Raven asked sarcastically, her tone dripping with monotone as per her usual. "That was horrendous."

Now outside the theatre, the four Titans stood inelegantly and awkwardly. Tension still heavily prevalent between the team's princess and masked wonder, conversation remained short and distanced. It didn't help the current situation that their mechanical friend was inexplicably missing; Cyborg was in fact the only Titan who knew how to navigate their hotel and the surrounding city.

Blatantly indecisive about where they should head next, Robin cleared his throat. "So… Should we head back? I know it's early, but I don't know anything about this town."

In response, the three Titans around him let out a groan in unison.

"Friends, I am unwilling to return at the present moment." Starfire's voice tugged with slight desperation, and she glanced at her friends imploringly. "I too am unsatisfied with the ending of the nightfall movie, but I have hope that we can salvage our fun. Let us enjoy the remainder of our evening out, regardless of friend Cyborg's whereabouts."

Raven merely groaned again, obviously unconvinced that the night could be reclaimed. Secretly, she desired to return to the depths of her hotel room for the rest of the night and meditate or read. Robin remained conspicuously silent, though as he crossed his arms, doubt was visible in his expression and body language.

But the green teen couldn't help but feel for the Tamaranean as her pleading expression grew more distraught in the face of their friends' doubt. He'd always been a sympathetic sucker, especially for his best friends. Beast Boy bounced around to the princess and flashed a wide grin at her; as always, the changeling's smile proved to be contagious for Starfire, and quite soon she was smiling too. Throwing his arm around her happily, he addressed the two murky birds standing across from them.

"C'mon, guys, how can you say no to these faces?" As if on cue – in fact, Robin pondered silently to himself, it seemed almost _practiced _– the princess's and the changeling's smiles transformed into big-lipped, 'puppy dog' expressions of begging.

"Anything in mind?" Robin inquired, his tone succumbing to the defeat of his friends' pouts. Raven let out a tiny groan for the third time, but seemed to surrender as well.

Squealing noiselessly, Starfire's eyes brightened with happiness. "Um," she began, and turned her attention towards the horizon in the distance. The movie theatre that the Titans had attended was only a short walk from the White Sands, which gave the princess an idea.

"Yes," she finally replied confidently. Turning back and walking towards her friends, Starfire smiled and looped her arms between Raven's and Robin's and began to lead them back in the direction of the hotel.

As the three embarked, Raven disdainfully – or so she'd claim – extended her free arm toward the green Titan who trailed behind, pulling him along. Though only for a short while, the four heroes walked in harmony with their arms happily intertwined and expressions of contentment adorning each of their faces. Starfire noted mentally that this was the first time she'd felt so comfortable with the entirety of her team in months.

Meanwhile, the masked hero to her left could not deny the fact that he felt warmer the moment his arm interlocked with hers.

* * *

The mechanical man could not believe his eyes. (Neither the physical one, nor the cybernetic one!) Before him, donning the same bright, crème-colored towel that he did stood a slim figure he'd thought he'd never see again. Dread rumbled in the man's robotic bowels; the kind of anxiety that seldom plagued him. In fact, Cyborg could count the amount of times he'd felt this overwhelmed on his left hand alone.

It was the kind of dread that stirred only when a person saw a ghost from the past.

Meanwhile, upon seeing Cyborg, the "color" immediately grained from her eerie gray cheeks and her mouth hung agape.

"_Jinx?_" He asked aloud, shock and dismay both heavily present within his voice. There were countless things he wanted to say and an abundance of questions he desired to ask her – for instance, why she'd inexplicably seemed to have fallen off the face of the planet many months ago – but only one could currently escape his lips. His voice booming with immodesty and anger, Cyborg took a threatening step towards Jinx and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you _here_? On _my_ vacation!"

The sorceress's expression of alarm quickly transformed into one of defensiveness. "Me?" she asked, her tone rising to harsh as she stepped even closer to the robotic man. She pointed at him accusatorily, "Why are _you _here? You're the one who's supposed to be the hero."

"AND?" Cyborg hollered, predominantly offended at the girl's injection considering the way she'd abandoned the Titan life over a year ago.

"_Heroes_ don't take vacations!" Jinx screeched in response, emphasizing the word _hero _to further jab at the titanic Titan.

Cyborg let out an infuriated groan, nearly growling. He'd only wanted a few hours of relaxation in solitude; how could this evening have turned so bitterly sour so fast? Teeming with irritation and muttering to himself, the mechanical man stormed past the sorceress into the hallway beyond the sauna room. The constant waves of hot air tumbling within the doorway to the steam room were only making things feel worse.

Exasperated, Cyborg ripped away the towel from his head and used it to wipe the dripping sweat from his face. As he did so, he couldn't help but let out a long and disappointed sigh. Still standing in the archway of the sauna with her arms now crossed across her chest, Jinx glared pensively at the floor tiles.

Noticing the solemn way in which the situation had diffused itself, Cyborg's mind finally cleared enough for him to vocalize what he'd been wondering for months. Keeping his own eyes glued to the wall ahead of him, his tone filled with disappointment. "Where the hell have you _been_, girl?"

This time, an incensed sigh escaped Jinx's lips. "I've been…" Though her twisted concrete-colored face suggested she had more to explain, the words seemed trapped within her esophagus.

This only further irritated the mechanical man. He wasn't here to waste time. Instantly, Cyborg's tenor altered to critical. "Right after you abandoned the Titans, the HIVE seemed to miraculously re-gather with more _oomph_ than ever. Know anything about that?"

Jinx's feline-like eyes lifted from the floor. When they met with Cyborg's, they were cold and unforgiving. "Why would I?"

"Dunno," the mechanical man shrugged, anger still lingering on his tongue and in his voice. "None of the security cams in the areas that the HIVE robbed caught anything too specific, 'cept for a glimpse or two of Mammoth and Gizmo. Robin couldn't help but think the timin' of it was more than coincidental."

Still exacting and relentless, Jinx focused her attention at the cybernetic man and his allegations. "And what do _you_ think?"

For an elongated, thick moment, Cyborg and Jinx exchanged a look of unmerciful anger. Over a year ago, the bad luck sorceress had bizarrely disappeared from the Titans without a word. For weeks the different sects of the team searched for Jinx, worried that something may have happened to her. It took months for everyone to cope with the loss of such a good friend and fellow hero. And now, here she was, standing in front of the bionic man with contemptuousness and derision.

She'd never comprehend the wounds she tore open by abandoning the Titans. They were so much more than a group of misfit metahumans and half-baked heroes; they were an extended _family_. And even if she did begin to understand the hurt she caused, it now bitterly occurred to the mechanical man that she wouldn't care.

Cyborg opened his mouth again, the ire in his voice unsparing. "I might just agree with Robin."

* * *

Starfire's toes curled happily in the cool nighttime sand. Most of the time the princess admittedly preferred to float or fly, but seldom did she get the chance to walk along a true beach. Gripping her sandals in her right hand, she pressed onward down the slopes of tawny powder, twirling sporadically and laughing to herself with merriment. She'd always been a carefree spirit deep down, despite the horrors and battles she'd seen throughout her lifetime.

The way the air smelt of salt reminded her of the first time she'd stepped foot on the island where she and her friends had constructed Titans Tower years ago. The nostalgia tightly wrapped itself around her soul.

At the present moment, Starfire treaded ahead, leading the group towards the coiling waves at the shore. Robin, who was filled with bewilderment and warmth in watching the amber-skinned beauty frolic, followed a dozen or so feet behind. Trailing behind him, the changeling – currently in the form of a Great Dane – elatedly pranced along the sand, occasionally stopping to investigate a scent or two. The sulking empath straggled far behind the rest of the group, clearly not enjoying the excursion along the beach.

After a few quiet minutes of striding through the sand, Starfire reached the shoreline. As the Tamaranean goddess stared nostalgically out at the midnight-hued ripples on the coast, the remaining Titans wandered slowly towards her. Robin was the closest to follow the princess, but allowed her the space she seemed to want as she stood at the banks of the ocean. As Raven finally caught up to the group and began to empty her boot of sand, the masked wonder cleared his throat.

"Well," he began, treading carefully with his words. He really wasn't sure why the princess had brought them there; it was nearing eleven o'clock at night, so they couldn't enjoy any sort of sunlight. Furthermore, at the current moment, he didn't have a particular interest in swimming while wearing civilian clothes. Clearing his throat once more, Robin announced, "I guess we're here."

Eyes filled with wonder, Starfire turned to face her friends. "Do you not see how wondrous it is?" she inquired. Taking one look at her friends' expressions, the princess could tell they didn't see the same marvel that she did. Robin, standing at least ten feet away from the princess, had confusion written all over his face. Meanwhile, Beast Boy was cackling slightly at Raven, who was still irritatingly pouring sand out of her shoes.

"Uh, not exactly," Robin finally said, looking around at the vacant beach and the odd smile forming on the lips of the princess. "What're we doin' here, Star?"

Smiling slyly, the princess's eyes twinkled once more with wonder. "I am taking the 'initiative'. If none of you will precede in making the fun happen, then I will." Starfire responded, a devious and coy smile beginning at the corners of her amber-skinned lips.

As the words slipped from her body, the princess's sandals fell from her grasp and Starfire lit a vibrant harlequin starbolt in her right hand. Lifting herself into the air with ease, all eyes now focused on her. The Titans watched as Starfire briskly scanned the beach and gracefully sent the lime-colored starbolt hurling in the direction of a large pile of driftwood that sat thirty or forty feet away.

Robin's masked eyes grew a touch wider, though no words followed. Meanwhile, despite the fact that Raven's expression remained rather stoic, a brief moment passed where the sorceress's monotone was broken. Anyone who knew either of the Titans well would recognize the look of mild shock on both of their faces.

"Dude," Beast Boy breathed with awe, the word catching slightly in the back of his throat. His smile grew with every passing instant. "Now that's just _wicked_."

* * *

The mechanical man and the bad luck sorceress sat awkwardly together in the small sauna room with towels wrapped around their bodies. Jinx, who normally had ovular pink cheeks, was looking especially flushed while Cyborg, whose skin tone and bionic enhancements usually prevented him from blushing, was sitting a few feet away with a similarly red-faced complexion. Between the two just minutes earlier, a nasty shouting match had occurred, and both Jinx and Cyborg were currently roasting in the aftermath and settlement of the explosion. The mechanical man eventually let out a large sigh and leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms over his head and closing his eyes in an attempt to rekindle his previous state of relaxation.

Jinx thought back to the part of the exchange that had shaken her most.

"_If you agree with Bird Boy, you gonna take me in?" she screeched, hurt so wildly prevalent in her voice that her cat-like orbs almost watered. _

_An extended silence occurred between herself and the mechanical man. Anxiously, Jinx stood there in the doorway of the sauna room, anticipating and silently dreading Cyborg's response to her query. After a few moments of thick stillness, the sorceress finally taciturnly exclaimed with fire, "You better know that I'm not going down without a fight, Stone," as she fell rigidly into battle stance. _

"_Calm yourself," the bionic man cooed solemnly in reply, extending his arms out in front of him in a defensive mannerism. He made no effort to protect himself in response to Jinx's abrupt battle stature. "I don't wanna arrest you. I'm on vacation, girl," he explained._

_Though Jinx's posture faltered slightly, she remained visibly unconvinced by his words and still stood in the doorway to the sauna room with her arms up, prepared for a fight._

_Seeing this, Cyborg let out a long breath of air. "And besides, Jinx, you're a Titan."_

_That particular statement had not been expected. Instantly, Jinx fell out of her battle-ready stance, distraught and in defeat, and looked up at the mechanical man. Her electric eyes seemed rather glassy and, upon meeting Cyborg's, she paused and then looked to the floor. "No, I'm not," she self-confessed softly. _

_Cyborg promptly grasped how uncharacteristic it was for the superstitious sorceress to lose her fire or back down from a possible battle. Moving towards her, with his arms still extended comfortingly, he continued, "C'mon, Jinx…" _

_But she cut him off, the familiar sharpness and sass returning to her tone. "Real Titans don't run out on their friends and responsibilities," she snapped, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm just lucky that Bird Boy isn't here to take me in himself!" Seeing Cyborg's sad and empathetic expression, Jinx took a second to pause and regain her composure._

"_Look, Cy," she breathed, attempting to calm down, "I'm fine; honest, I am. I can take care of myself. But don't lie to me. We both know I'm not welcome as a Titan anymore."_

_Without a moment of hesitation, Cyborg moved in towards the sorceress so quickly that Jinx took a step back, thinking he might be coming at her. However, once again, his arms were outstretched and laced with comfort. She reluctantly allowed him to come near her, and as she let her guard down, he wrapped a single arm around her shoulders in a half-hug. Cyborg smiled down at her. "Yes, you are."_

Huffing at her current situation, the sorceress noted the mechanical man at he leaned back relaxingly in his sauna seat and felt a twinge of irritation bubble in her temple. It was not within her nature to be trusting. "So we're just gonna sit here, hang out, and act like it's all okay?" Jinx finally asked, a certain but definitive sharpness and fear present in her tongue.

"Yep," Cyborg mumbled in response, refusing to open his eyes or look directly at her. "I ain't gonna arrest a friend; especially one I've got no evidence against. Simple as that."

When she spoke again, disbelief and sharpness was still present within Jinx's voice. "So, what, we're just gonna chill in this steam room pretending to be cheery old pals and then go our separate ways?"

"I dunno, girl," Cyborg responded, his eyes happily closed as he sat back in the sauna. "It's up to you, J. What're you looking for?"

"Answers," she disclosed after a short pause.

Thinking back to the exchange he'd shared with Jinx just a few minutes beforehand, Cyborg could easily understand where she was coming from.

_After their impromptu hug, Cyborg made his way back into the sauna, whistling to himself. Staring at him somewhat wildly, Jinx couldn't fathom why the bionic man was being so sweet. "I don't get it," she said. "Why would you be cool with me after I ditched the hero life?"_

_Cyborg shrugged as he took his previous seat in the sauna. "You want the truth?"_

"_Yeah," the superstitious sorceress said, holding steadfast in the doorway and crossing her arms once again._

"_Well," the mechanical man began, wrapping the loose crème towel he'd been holding back around his head. He breathed out before he sat back slightly in his seat. "As far as I'm concerned, you're pretty good at heart, whether ya like it or not."_

_Jinx scrunched up her nose. "Great," she snorted sarcastically and walked over to where Cyborg was sitting in the sauna. Taking the spot next to him as the door shut behind her, she made no eye contact with the mechanical man as she wrapped a towel around her oddly-shaped pink hair, as well._

"_But," Cyborg prodded, a more serious tune now taking over his vocal chords. "I gotta ask, girl; why'd you go?"_

_Letting out a sharp and irritated exhale, the sorceress shook her head. "You want the truth?" she mocked. Not waiting for the cybernetic man's rebuttal, she continued on._

"_When Wally ran out on us a year and a half ago, I didn't know how to deal," she admitted slowly, keeping her eyes focused on her hands in her lap. "He was always flaking out… Running off to who-knows-where and disappearing for days or weeks at a time… But he always came back. Just like he said he would." Exhaling slowly, Jinx unfolded her hands from her lap. "So when weeks and months went by and Wally was still nowhere to be found, I… I guess I got scared."_

"_We were all worried, Jinx," the mechanical man quietly added. "We still are."_

"_Yeah," the sorceress retorted cuttingly, her voice rising again. "But I was never cut out for the good guy routine! Cyborg, I've been bad luck since the day I was born. Wally was the only one who ever made me feel like more_ _than a witch."_

_The cybernetic man reached his arm out towards the superstitious sorceress and placed it on her knee. "We could've helped you cope, Jinx. We woulda been there for you if you'da let us."_

"_I didn't want to cope," Jinx snarled slightly, her eyes stinging. "I wanted to find him! He changed my life, Cyborg. I needed to know what happened; I needed closure. I just… I needed to know what happened; what changed."_

_For a brief instant, Jinx's eerie pink orbs protruded Cyborg's entire being at they stared straight through him. It looked almost as if the bad-luck sorceress was looking into another lifetime. "Look," she began, exhaling once more, "I just needed to know if _I _changed too when Wally took off."_

_Nodding, Cyborg removed his hand of comfort and wrapped his arms behind his head. "I get it," he exhaled, allowing a moment of silence to occur between them so that the sorceress could calm down again. "But why you keep insisting that you aren't a hero?"_

"_Because I do what's best for me," she responded honestly. "Right now, what's best for ME isn't the totally-regimented and responsibility-filled hero life."_

"_Alright," Cyborg agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "I can dig that. So what'd you find out about KF?"_

_Biting her lip, Jinx closed her eyes and stayed quiet for a long time before responding. "I spent the year searching high and low for Wally. I eventually found his mask, torn almost beyond recognition, in the outskirts of Jump." Noting the deep frown crawling across the cybernetic man's face, she pressed onward more quietly. "I… don't know what happened to him. I've just been trying to find some answers. I haven't really gotten any."_

Coming back to the present-time, Cyborg shook the clouds of nostalgia from his mind. Inspecting the sorceress of superstition, he noted the sincerity in her cat-like orbs. "Hey, I want you to find your answers. So if you're lookin' to get arrested or have some big dramatic battle, you'll have to look elsewhere."

"I don't get it," Jinx responded snappishly.

The cybernetic man half-laughed a syllable. "We're allies, J."

"If you tell Robin you saw me, he'll ask you to bring me in," she noted with an air of defense. It was clearly evident that the sorceress didn't trust the mechanical man.

"Then I won't tell Robin."

Staring at him skeptically, Jinx regarded Cyborg with doubt and cynicism. "I thought heroes were supposed to be all black-and-white with their morals," she spat at him doubtfully.

"Girl, that's racist," Cyborg joked. Both he and Jinx erupted into laughter.

When they were done, the cybernetic man wiped a tear from his eye and continued, breaking the tension in the room. "Man, I'm hil_ar_ious. Just pure comedy gold."

"You're definitely a joke," Jinx responded, jabbing playfully at the bionic man.

Pretending to pout at her witticism, Cyborg chuckled lightly. "That ain't cool, girl. I just agreed to keep our forbidden rendezvous a secret so you could search the world for yo' damn 'answers', and now you're gonna _mock_ me? _ME?!_" he asked, pointing at himself incredulously.

Jinx continued to cackle as the mechanical man stood from his seat in the sauna. After a peaceful minute of quietness, Cybrorg spoke up once more. "Let's get outta here," he said, nodding to the sorceress. "I think I'm rustin' in here."

"Where ya wanna go?" she asked, still curious and skeptical of the cybernetic man's intentions. The fact that he was willing to keep quiet about seeing her was impressive in itself; realizing that he wanted to _spend time with her _on top of that? Jinx was undeniably bewildered.

"Well," Cyborg began, unwrapping the puerile crème-colored towels from his body and sauntering towards the exit of the sauna, "I figure we could just hang out and relax for the night… And then, come tomorrow, start looking for them 'answers'."

The bad-luck sorceress was floored by the mechanical man's bigheartedness. "Why would you help me? It's really not your problem. You don't have any reason to –"

"Oh, stuff it," Cyborg said dismissively, swatting at Jinx as they exited the steam room. "I'd do anything to help one of my friends. Especially if she needs it," he winked.

Jinx's already-pink cheeks grew marginally more vibrant. "I never asked for your help," she replied stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"You don't have to," the cybernetic man replied. "And you're gonna have to deal with it, 'cause you ain't getting' rid of me that easily."

* * *

Author's Note: Eh, I'm not a fan of the way I concluded this particular chapter, but it had to be done if I'm to move forward at any reasonable speed! Stay tuned, for the next chapter will pick up almost immediately where this one left off, **and** it won't be a long wait.

Please review! Give me any feedback or suggestions that you'd like. I'm also a big fan of critical assessments, so feel free so share any criticisms or disapprovals that you might have.


	6. Limelight

Author's Note: Sorry once more for the ever-late updates. I'm sure that's something that will unfortunately not change, seeing as how I'll be working all summer. However, I've got big plans in store for this fic! By the end of the summer, I'm really hoping to have it wrapped up.

Has anybody been watching Teen Titans Go!, by the way? I love it. I think it's a dream come true! Yeah, it's silly and playful, but it's like reading a new piece of fanfiction with every single episode. Very satisfying, to say the least!

Disclaimer: I *wish* I owned the Titans.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6 – LIMELIGHT**

* * *

Near the bright, harlequin fire that burned fluorescently around the driftwood, the Teen Titans (minus a certain cybernetic man) huddled closely, collecting one-another's warmth. Despite the fact that it was currently mid-summer in California, nighttime temperatures still tended to drop low enough to chill anyone's shoulders. Starfire had lit ablaze a chunk of shore debris earlier, setting it aglow with her neon green Tamaranean flames. They'd been staring at it for some time now.

"This is definitely the coolest use of your powers, Star," Beast Boy said aloud, a large grin adorning his face.

"And perhaps the most useless," Raven noted quietly, her arms folded around her knees. She was still rather irritated that the team had relocated to the sand-filled shoreline; she_ really _wasn't a beach person. Though the princess didn't respond with a single word, the empath could feel a twinge of melancholy radiate off of her the moment she'd made her comment. Correcting herself, Raven amended her sentence. "But it's _very _pretty," she cooed, directing the comment directly at Starfire.

Smiling emptily, the princess's eyes met the empath's. "Thank you, Raven. I am sorry that you are not enjoying the beach on this night." No matter what Starfire was going through, she always made sure to consider Raven and her preferences. It was an admirable quality – one that truly demonstrated the value of the friendship between the two – and did not go unnoticed by the sorceress.

Raven cracked a miniscule – albeit entirely genuine – smirk. "Don't worry about it, Starfire. It's nice." Quickly, the princess's previous melancholy dripped away into the night's darkness as she realized her friend was being honest with her.

A stillness settled in between the four Titans huddled around the cozy harlequin bonfire. Despite its forbidding color, it smelt of florae and the victory of battle. The Tamaranean princess and her friends watched the flames tumble and somersault over one-another, enthralled by its grace and beauty. It seemed that almost everything from Tamaran contained these qualities.

Starfire thought back to the conversation she'd shared with Raven earlier in the day. Her empathetic friend had mentioned that she could feel Robin's emotions whenever he and Starfire were present within the same room. He _missed _her. Why did he never vocalize these feelings to her? They'd been understandably distant within recent months, but the princess and the Boy Wonder had always been best friends. Despite whatever relational or emotional issues befell at the present, Starfire couldn't help but hope they'd remain equally close no matter what occurred between them. Had this been a trivial anticipation? If something was bothering Robin, she truly expected him to be able to share these troubles with his best friend.

With _her_.

"Robin," Starfire asked in a hushed tone, a tiny and embarrassed smile on her face, "Would you like to like to accompany me for a fleeting walk along the shoreline?"

Notwithstanding the princess's attempt to remain nonchalant and quiet, the three Titans looked towards her with eyebrows raised and uneasy expressions. Noticing the hesitation in Robin's face and the eyes of her teammates glued to her, she sighed. It appeared that subtlety was not going to work.

Then again, when it came to the Boy Wonder, when had subtlety _ever _worked?

Starfire continued with a tone of voice that suggested gravity yet distinct friendliness and approachability. "Please, Richard. I wish to discuss matters in private if possible."

The Boy Wonder's expression – terrified masked eyes, mixed with a look of shock and a deep crimson blush – was particularly priceless. Momentarily, he glanced nervously at the changeling and the sorceress who were watching the exchange closely. Seldom was his real name ever uttered by the princess, _especially_ among friends. Giving him no obvious indication of what to do next, Robin turned back to the princess, mouth slight ajar.

"Dude," Beast Boy interjected in a slightly whispered tone, overwhelmingly aware of the fact that Starfire could hear every word, "What's with the slack-jaw?" He elbowed his friend, who remained somewhat motionless.

"Don't be a dumbass," the sorceress scolded quietly in her monotone. Both Beast Boy and Starfire simultaneously broke out into subdued giggles – though the green teen's laughter was admittedly quite more boisterous than 'subdued'.

Robin huffed sarcastically with embarrassment, "Thanks, guys." He stood from his driftwood seat in the sand and extended his hand toward Starfire. The Boy Wonder was well aware that the princess needed no help in standing, of course, but it was a gesture he'd long grown accustomed to.

And gladly, the princess accepted the gesture and linked hands with the Boy Wonder.

"Oh, I do not know, Robin," she said with mock innocence as she stood. Still giggling slightly at her beau's hesitation, she joked, "I found Raven's advice to be particularly wise."

This, of course, sent the changeling over the edge. Beast Boy rolled over, cackling wildly in the sand with amusement. Raven smirked slightly next to the shape-shifter; her meager, humble way of expressing enjoyment in the situation. Robin couldn't even help but to crack a tacky smile at the princess's jest.

"Let's go, Star," he mumbled, shooting the changeling and the sorceress one last dirty look before he and Starfire adventured out across the breezy nighttime shoreline.

* * *

Within moments of the departure of their friends, dozens of other people wandered towards where the chromatically challenged pair of heroes sat in the sand. The animated, tantalizing flames of the lime bonfire that Starfire had lit proved to entice crowds of all sorts – the most notable of these spectators being particularly rowdy young adults – over to witness and enjoy the night. Apparently, over the past few years, the entire West Coast had grown widely familiar with the Tamaranean princess's signature beryl glow. Between the fluorescent green fire and the friendly forest-hued shape-shifter that sat beside it, vacationers felt more than welcomed to join the Titans on the beach.

Though Robin and Starfire had walked off less than fifteen minutes prior, Raven found herself sitting in the middle of what appeared to be an all-out beach party. What began as a few nosy teenagers wandering over to inspect the harlequin flames had somehow transformed into various intertwining games of nighttime beach sports, loud singing, dozens of college-aged friends, and a rapidly-growing crowd drawing closer to the bonfire.

For the first few minutes, the empath and the changeling exchanged little besides small talk and a comfortable silence as they watched vacationers wander towards them. Now, however, the beach's population had grown from four to well over _four dozen_. As the crowd grew increasingly larger and rambunctious, Raven quickly found it impossible to sit quite as comfortably.

"Azar," Raven snorted almost inaudibly to herself as she watched a group of guys twenty feet to her left pretend that beach Frisbee was a drinking game, "Didn't realize alien fires could attract so many…"

Mid-sentence, the Frisbee from the guys' game soared at top speeds towards the lime bonfire, barely missing the empath's head. It floated happily into the fire, igniting the neon flames further. The inebriated young men doubled over in laughter and cheers.

"…Delinquents," she concluded, an unmistakable tone of aggravation now consuming her voice.

Beast Boy cackled across from her, amused by her temper as per usual. "They're just some fratboy tools, Rae," he said with a comforting tone, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Ignore 'em."

The empath felt her face flush against her will upon the soft touch of her teammate. She couldn't help but notice that in recent months, the changeling's hand often wandered to the small of her back or between the crevices of her shoulders when he spoke privately with her. Had the changeling always been so ready and willing to make physical contact with her?

_Of course not_, the empath reckoned with herself. The first year or two of their coexistence within the Titans could barely even be considered an acquaintance. It was not until she opened herself up to the rest of the team – not until the changeling and the cyborg had accidentally wandered through the portal to her mind all those years ago – that Raven even recognized Beast Boy as a genuine friend. After that moment, even despite the shape-shifter's unmistakable and distinctive fear towards the enchantress and her dark sorcery, he was always willing to extend a physical hand of support whenever he deemed appropriate.

And years later, amidst the most strugglesome years of her young adulthood, Raven found her boundaries of physical contact entirely shattered thanks to the changeling. Once the empath had granted Beast Boy that initial hug when her heart had first been broken by that malicious dragon-in-disguise, he never again hesitated to extend his arms towards her…. even when the situation did _not _seem quite as suitable.

No one crossed her boundaries as often as the changeling.

Odder still, the sorceress never shooed his touch away. Suspiciously in fact, Beast Boy had become increasingly sweet towards Raven over the past few weeks. Very obviously, he'd frequently been caught going out of his way to make her smile to the best of his ability… through means other than jokes and mockery. The changeling would often have a pot of herbal tea whistling for her and waiting when she arrived to OPS in the morning; moreover, he'd occasionally come back from his favorite comic book store with a graphic novel in hand for her, brimming with dark illustrations and magic lore; further still, he'd been making an obvious effort lately to speak with her one-on-one about personal but casual topics, like music or books or hobbies.

Her face now glowing with warmth, Raven briefly eyed the changeling with skepticism. What was he up to? Was this his new way of teasing her? Though his gaze had reverted elsewhere, Beast Boy's hand still lingered tenderly on her shoulder. The empath had by now grown somewhat accustomed to the way the changeling would so casually share contact with her, and for a long time now, Raven had allowed herself to silently admit that these gestures were enjoyable.

Fleetingly, Raven pondered of the truth behind Starfire's words from earlier in the day. Without warning, they replayed themselves in her head, toying with her.

_You appreciate when friend Beast Boy engages in the 'flirting' with you, even if you do not admit it or do the flirting in return._

_If you truly desired Beast Boy to cease in the flirtation, he would have received this message long ago._

Months ago, the empath had pleaded with herself mentally, hoping desperately to develop the power to will her feelings away, but by now, she knew far better. Though relatively inexperienced, Raven was neither a stranger to emotion nor ignorant enough to wade in self-denial. She'd always known. She was riotously stubborn, yes, but never too oblivious or unknowing to refute the truth to herself deep down.

Sending goose bumps up her skin, Raven made eye contact with the changeling as he turned back to face her.

It had been a very slow process of recognition for her over the years. Now, as the two inhabited such a relaxing space, it seemed painfully clear. It was the only reasonable explanation for why Raven continued to allow Beast Boy's touch to linger on her body; the only sensible motivation as to why Raven had begun granting him smirks, smiles, and quiet laughter at his jokes. The shape-shifter had somehow wiggled his way into the fissures and fractures of Raven's heart over the years, despite how tightly locked away she'd kept it her entire life.

And no amount of pleading or wishing would will it otherwise.

"You okay?" Beast Boy asked her, forest green orbs still penetrating her gaze with curiosity. His smile was gentle and understanding, perfectly mimicking the way his hand still rested on her shoulder.

Infuriatingly, these feelings for the changeling were not a new realization for Raven. She'd known of their subtle existence for years, and she'd grasped their growing sway months ago. Now, though, these emotions felt _dangerous_, as if they threatened to take influence or effect over her rationality. And something about the peculiar manner in which Beast Boy behaved around her only worsened the matter.

Raven did not respond to the changeling's inquiry. Instead, she simply averted her eyes to the sandy floor. Forgetting that she was not currently wearing her cloak, the empath reached mindlessly behind her neck to pull up her hood. Cursing silently under her breath at the realization of its absence, Raven scratched the back of her neck in irritation and folded her legs in front of her and began to hover slightly.

As she did so, Beast Boy removed his hand from her shoulder.

"You cold?" the green teen asked, now eyeing the empath inquisitively.

"No," she responded curtly, instantly regretting the tone of her voice. Acutely aware of the chill breeze on the shore and clearing her throat, Raven pulled herself into her infamous meditation position. She continued, "I'm really okay. Thanks, though, Beast Boy."

Closing her eyes, the sorceress began to chant her mantra.

* * *

As the princess and the protégée strolled along the shoreline, the cool California sand whispered against the balls of their feet. Starfire almost always preferred to fly or float, but because she was alone with the Boy Wonder one-one for the first time in ages, she chose to walk beside him.

For a long time, their adventure was wordless. While Robin was nearly positive that the princess aimed to talk with him about their current relationship – or perhaps lack thereof – he nonetheless had nothing in particular to say. Words, as always, were his weakness. Physical skirmishes were a piece of cake for the Boy Wonder; in fact, he'd much rather have to fight off a dozen Sladebots with a blindfold on than endure _this _kind of confrontation.

Starfire's strange, lime-hued flames coalesced and somersaulted nearly a half mile behind the couple as, finally, the Tamaranean came to a stop and stared intently at the ocean. "Oceans are still a marvel to me," she began tenderly, her arms extending slightly at her side to take in the scene and smell of it all. After inhaling the salt and stick of the nighttime air, a smile crept along the crevices of her mouth. She continued, "We do not have any bodies of water on Tamaran suitable for swimming. If one wishes to swim, he or she must fly thousands of miles toward the nebulae of the Orthereon galaxy."

Robin did not respond. He was staring out into the ocean beside the princess as if there was something he needed to find.

"Do your shoes not hinder you in the sand?" Starfire asked him absent-mindedly, not bothering to even look at the Boy Wonder.

Almost instinctually, Robin glanced down at his feet. His sneakers were covered uncomfortably with sand. He snickered, "Yeah, I guess you're right," as he removed his shoes and socks. Stuffing each of the socks inside their respective shoes and tying the laces together, he joined Starfire at the shoreline.

"How are you feeling?", the Boy Wonder asked the princess to his left. To anyone else, this might seem like an odd question to come out of the blue. However, Robin was always intensely aware of the fact that Starfire's entire way of life was dictated by her feelings. It was something he surreptitiously admired about the princess, and something he often asked her about.

"If I am to be honest, I am filled with caprice," she responded, her smile fading from her lips. Her arms remained outstretched at her sides.

Mechanically, Robin tucked his left hand deep into his pocket. Every fiber of his being despised serious conversations, especially the ones that might lead to him talking about his feelings… or worse.

_Starfire's_ feelings.

Long, grueling moments of quiet fell upon the Boy Wonder and the Tamaranean princess. "Why'd you ask me to come out here with you tonight?" Robin finally asked somewhat tactlessly.

"Why do you ask as if I have forced you here?" Starfire asked in return, turning her vision away from the ocean and its midnight breeze. She was visibly perplexed by the critical tone he'd used with her.

"I don't know. I really don't like games, Star."

The princess scrunched up her face, genuinely confused; she had not intended to be playing any sort of games with the Boy Wonder. "I do not understand, Richard."

"I hate when you call me that," Robin spat pointedly, ignoring her statement with irritation. He was horrendous at this.

Taken slightly aback by the abruptness of the Boy Wonder's words, Starfire's eyes grew narrow and unfriendly. "How am I to know what you like or dislike, _Robin_, if you never express these feelings?"

The Boy Wonder despised the way his alias rolled off her tongue, as if the name had been so distasteful that the princess ached to remove it from her body. Further still, he hated the way she seemed to persistently push this subject on him.

"Somehow, it doesn't seem like that statement had anything to do with my namepreferences," Robin responded calculatedly, a close eye on the princess to monitor her reaction.

Starfire scoffed at the Boy Wonder's words nearly inaudibly while crossing her arms. "And somehow, each time your mouth opens, I feel as if I am conversing with an attorney rather than a friend."

Exasperated, Robin sighed at the princess. For the first time since their raillery had begun, the boy's body language screamed vulnerability and sincerity. "What do you want from me, Starfire? You know exactly how bad I am at this. This is why we…" He cut himself off, not wanting to talk about the reasons of their breakup with any specificity.

But it was the first time he'd outwardly admitted that his lack of expression had been a big cause of their demise. Starfire couldn't even be sure that Robin had intended to admit blame, but that only made the situation feel more genuine. An indulgent smile appeared on the princess's amber skin against her wishes, and she couldn't help it as her tone lost its sharpness. "I want you to try to help me understand. I am not asking for the perfect words; I am merely looking for you to _try_."

* * *

Before the empath could finish uttering her mantra even once in entirety, she heard Beast Boy's voice interrupting her.

"Ya know," he started, his voice now sounding much smaller than it had been, "I'm, uh, really thinkin' of changing my alias to 'Changeling' soon."

Raven opened her eyes and stared at her green teammate. Her voice matched Beast Boy's in lowness. "Just months ago, you said you weren't ready to abandon the 'Beast Boy' mantle." Though she continued to hover mid-air, her attention centered primarily on the changeling and his line of conversation.

"Yeah," he responded, thoughtlessly fumbling with a piece of driftwood, "I still don't really know if I am. But, I dunno, my eighteenth birthday is in like two weeks, and I just figured now might be a good time for the transition."

"Age doesn't have anything to do with it," Raven answered in her monotone, though those that knew her well would instantly recognize the softness in her tone. "Do you _feel_ like 'Changeling' yet?"

"Not really," he admitted, letting out a single unintentional chuckle as he did so. "But it feels weird when you call me 'Beast Boy'." The words had obviously come out before he'd thought them through, judging by the color rushing to his face.

Now Raven's attention was focused entirely and solely on the changeling. She uncurled her legs from the lotus position and lowered herself back to the ground. Meditation was evidently not going to happen at this moment. "Why? I've – _we've_ always called you 'Beast Boy'."

Shaking his head – perhaps in an attempt to literally shake the growing blush from his face – the shape-shifter let out another syllable of laughter before plunging in. "Because Mento and Rita first called me 'Beast Boy' when I was just a little kid, and I'm not that kid anymore. I'm not even the kid I was when I joined the Titans."

A very subtle, awkward pause struck the changeling, and the dark sorceress could tell that the green teen was truly attempting to make serious conversation. She'd grown to recognize the head-shaking as Beast Boy's _tell_; the body language he always subconsciously utilized when he was exposing himself.

During the pause, Raven couldn't help but wonder if he'd talked about this subject with anyone else, or if she was the first he'd gone to. Had she become his go-to friend?

Beast Boy exhaled, shaking his head once more and looking to the floor. "I don't think I've been that kid for a long time."

Raven couldn't help but admire the changeling's straightforwardness; it was a trait she particularly struggled with herself. The empath also noted that, within recent years, the changeling had grown exceptionally gifted at distinguishing when it was appropriate to remain serious.

"True," she replied. Instead of forcing the conversation to remain heavy, the empath allowed a slight smile to crawl behind her voice. "You've matured a year or two."

Beast Boy did not respond to the empath verbally, and instead opted to stick his tongue out at her, the restrained creases in his forest-hued cheekbones implying that a smile sat behind the silly face. He was obviously well aware of her joking.

"But don't you think 'Beast Boy' feels a little… I dunno. Silly, or immature?" As the word 'immature' fell off his tongue, the empath couldn't help but notice a strange twinge in the boy's emotions, as if he was really looking forward to hearing what she had to say.

"Just like you," Raven responded, her monotone breaking slightly as she smirked.

Beast Boy smiled in response to her taunt, though the look in his eyes begged her for a more serious reply.

"Fine," the sorceress surrendered, acutely aware of just how much this conversation apparently meant to the changeling. She choose her words carefully. "While I do enjoy calling you 'Beast Boy', because it _does_ fit you, I suppose there are certain instances when a more personal name might feel more appropriate."

The green teen's pointed ears perked up upon the sound of her words. "Like a nickname?"

"I guess," Raven responded, thinking the matter over. "When the situation calls for it, I suppose I could use your real name."

Beast Boy uttered a loud sound of disgust and distorted his face in revolt to accentuate his point. "No way! I hate 'Garfield'. It's so… not me."

A moment of silence passed between the two before Raven spoke again. Pondering it over to herself and wondering if was perhaps _too _personal, she decided to go for it, anyway.

"How do you feel about 'Gar'?"

The changeling mulled it over briefly. "Nobody's really called me 'Gar' before."

"I could," Raven offered, her voice now quieter than ever. "It's nice."

Had the changeling not been blessed with ultra-sensitive hearing, he would've likely missed her response. Instantly, his forest orbs made contact with hers, simultaneously sending warmth into both of their cheeks.

"You don't think it's dumb?" Beast Boy asked, never breaking eye contact.

"Not as dumb as 'Beast Man'", she replied, alluding to the time they'd sat on the rocks outside Titans Tower all night. It was the first time the chromatically challenged pair of heroes had enjoyed each-other's personal company. That was years ago now. "Besides," she concluded, "It's your name."

"Mmm, not exactly," he corrected, eyeing her curiously for the second time that evening. A thought seemed to strike him, and a sly grin spread across his face, his fang protruding out shrewdly. The tone of his voice was spontaneously much more playful. "It's your own special nickname for me," he teased.

"I…" Raven began, the warmth in her face growing to an uncomfortable temperature. He was doing it again, that _flirting _thing, and this time, Raven was sharply aware of how much he was enjoying it… and how much she didn't mind it.

She really hated that she didn't mind it.

"Well, you call me 'Rae'," she said snappishly, sending a glare – albeit a soft one – towards her green-skinned teammate. "So now we're even."

The changeling's eyebrows contorted in a curious way as his fang protruded from an even wider grin that spread itself across his handsome face. In fact, his beaming smile almost appeared to continue spreading down his neck, into his shoulders and down his torso. A calm sense of delight dripped from his entire being. Raven's stomach did a tiny somersault upon the realization that, once again, the green-skinned boy was about to say something playful.

"Are you formally giving me the go-ahead to call you 'Rae', then?" he asked, turning his sitting body to face her. They were perhaps a mere foot away from one-another.

The empath was growing tired of blushing. "No," she replied simply in what she hoped was her typical monotone.

"It's settled then!" he exclaimed, standing from his makeshift seat in the sand. A groan escaped the empath's lips, but a heavy hint of a smile came with it. The changeling extended his hand to her, offering to help her up. For reasons unknown to her, Raven obliged, taking his hand and allowing the shape-shifter to use his strength to help her stand.

But Beast Boy didn't allow Raven's hand to fall from his upon standing. Instead, he vigorously shook her arm. "Now that we've agreed and shook on it –" he began, grinning coyly at the gray-skinned female and her clear expression of irritation "– it's official. I'm never gonna stop calling you 'Rae'," he smiled, "And you can call me 'Gar' if you want."

"I don't think it counts as 'shaking on it' if I didn't consent to the handshake," she replied, trying urgently to maintain her usual monotone and painfully aware of her failure to do so.

"No take-backs," the changeling responded dismissively, looking down at the coarse green skin of his left hand that was still holding onto Raven's soft and tender gray one. Looking up at the empath's face just in time to catch a tell-tale carnation hue spread across her pale cheeks, he let out a chuckle.

He knew _exactly _what he was doing.

Instead of letting the sorceress's hand go, Beast Boy felt himself overwhelmed with a rare gust of nerve and confidence. As another somersault formed itself in the empath's belly, the changeling boldly let his hand slide up the sorceress's arm. Cautiously yet brazenly – never letting his gaze leave the empath – Beast Boy draped his toned arm over Raven's slender shoulders.

Seemingly frozen into stillness, dialectical tension arose in the bowels of the sorceress. What in Azar's name did Beast Boy think he was doing?And why didn't she mind? And – damn that green-skinned tormenter – _why could her limbs no longer function enough to move away? _

The empath's voice reverberated gracelessly in her throat. "What are you –"

"C'mon, Rae," Beast Boy sang, frivolously cutting her off and urging her to walk with him away from the fire. Groups of teenagers who had come to huddle near Starfire's neon blaze now gawked at the chromatically challenged pair with curious, nosy glances.

Noticing this only mere moments after the changeling, Raven felt abruptly overawed with the urge to run. She was not accustomed to public outings. And she was particularly unaccustomed to these public outings being spent _alone with the changeling_.

"Let's get away from the bright-ass green fire," Beast Boy suggested, as if reading the empath's mind. "We'll make our own over there or something."

"Good idea," she croaked, still dumbfounded at the changeling's bold audacity. The somersaulting had ceased in her intestines now. Fleetingly, the sorceress contemplated removing the shape-shifter's arm from her shoulders but hastily dismissed the thought. After all, she'd lied earlier when Beast Boy had asked if she was cold, and she indeed felt pointedly warmer thanks to his body heat.

Raven remained tucked underneath his forest-colored arm as he nonchalantly led her step by step away from the harlequin flames. Futilely, she attempted to convince herself that this – the physical contact, the playful jesting, and the butterflies – was nothing more than friendship. Perhaps there were some underlying feelings present on her part, and perhaps even the changeling occasionally suffered from the same nonsensical illusions, but they were friends. She and Beast Boy were heroes.

Teammates. And friends. Close friends, maybe.

But that was all.

* * *

For hours, the mechanical man and the bad luck enchantress sat together at the White Sands' Tiki Bar, laughing over non-alcoholic drinks as if time had never passed. The bar bustled less excitedly from the previous night, though many of the waitresses seemed to recall the cybernetic man's antics and giggled when they passed him by. Cyborg didn't really seem to notice, though; he'd really missed Jinx's company, and spending the evening by her side had been a refreshing change of pace.

"You know," Cyborg said, his voice growing low as the pair finished laughing over a story, "We all really missed you, Jinx. I was pretty scared you went back to 'Bad Guy' on us."

A sad smile crept upon the girl's pale gray complexion. "Of course not, ya big lughead," she returned, the smile slowly falling from her face but the gloom remaining in her tone. "I dunno where I'd be without you and the other Titans."

Cyborg inspected her for a close minute. He knew Jinx well enough to recognize when she was down, and now may have been the lowest he'd ever seen her. It was especially odd, considering how bright she'd just seemed before he'd brought anything up a moment earlier.

"Girl," the mechanical man said, commanding her attention. She made eye contact with him, her eerie, feline-like eyes piercing through time. "What's goin' on with you?"

"Don't know what you're talkin' about," Jinx responded, sipping from her drink dismissively.

Cyborg shook his head at her. "You know I ain't gonna pry."

"You know I hate when you do," she said curtly.

A smirk fell upon the mechanical man's face. "Yeah, I know." For another moment, the pair remained quiet, the rhythm of their banter having been shattered. Cyborg picked up his soda and finished it with a monstrous gulp before asking the giggling waitress at the bar for another.

He looked wryly towards his pink-haired companion. "Why are you _here_, Jinx?" he asked unobtrusively. She peered at him with an expression of confusion as he continued. "What made you come to this hotel _now_?"

The sorceress stared at him long and hard, as if contemplating exactly what he meant by his question. After a lengthy minute, she sighed, and downed the remainder of her root beer float. "I told you, I've been lookin' all around for answers. I've been askin' a lot of questions in a lot of places, and it lead me here."

"Here?" he asked with weighty surprise, pointing at the floor of the Tiki Bar in emphasis. "To the _White Sands resort_?"

She giggled slightly at him. "Yeah, well, for now. And when I get another answer, I'll keep searching."

"But what are the odds?" he joked, prodding at her ribcage with his cybernetic elbow. As the barmaid returned with his soda, she informed them that the bar would be closing momentarily, which was fine; Cyborg was definitely ready to call it a night. He and the sorceress had been sitting here catching up in the bar for hours, and while he was enjoying himself, he could use some recharging.

When the waitress left, he looked back at the pink-haired girl and continued. "I mean, your questions got you _here_ while we're taking our only-ever VK as a team."

"Yeah, that _is_ really weird," Jinx retorted. "What a coincidence, right?"

As Cyborg and the sorceress stood from their seats at the bar, he threw his arm around her. "Nah, girl, that's just _destiny_," he laughed. Jinx joined in his laughter, as well.

Upon exiting the doors of the Tiki Bar, he let go of the enchantress. "Come tomorrow, when should I pick you up?"

"Too risky," Jinx said, shaking her head and bringing one hand to her chin. "One of your teammates might see or follow ya."

"Then where should I meet you?"

She smiled archly, walking backwards to face the cybernetic man as she left him outside the doors to the Tiki Bar. Her expression was amorous and coy. "_I'll _meet _you _tomorrow. Don't you worry, lughead." She saluted him with a wink and turned back around, skipping away.

"But where?" he called out to her.

Cyborg heard her chuckle a bit as she continued walking. "Trust me, Cy, I'll find ya," she said, giving him one last wave as she skipped far ahead of the tin man. He watched as she continued skipping away until she turned the corner of the hallway, all the while unaware of how the waitresses and barmaids goggled at him from behind.

* * *

Tucked underneath far-reaching, heaving minutes, the two heroes sat in cuddled hush as Beast Boy fumbled with a piece of driftwood in their new campfire. The Tamaranean flames were still visible, as their original lime fire rested a mere few hundred away, but the chromatically challenged ignored it and its growing crowd entirely. Despite the way the changeling toyed with the fresh, typically-colored flames with his right arm, he made a conscious, transparent effort to keep his left arm wrapped securely around the empath.

For some strange reason, Raven found it a tad harder to exist below the changeling's warm arm. Although she couldn't internally deny how cozy and reassuring his touch was to her in this moment, something about the way his toned, foliage-hued appendage laid so casually upon her slender, ashen shoulders made her noticeably apprehensive.

Each passing moment tugged at her fortitude and heartstrings, creating terrible melodies of nervousness within her ricking gut. Though every individual second was visibly still outside of Raven's skin, each one rumbled within her for thrice as long. She worked mercilessly to control the rhythm of her breathing, for it threatened to break free into shallow and uneven puffs, and she knew this would not go unnoticed by the changeling's sensitive hearing. Most irritatingly of all, Beast Boy sat beside her in strikingly blunt contrast, lounging casually and peacefully with a smile of complacency. This did nothing but tempt Raven into further nausea.

Admittedly, the churning vortex of moths within her bowels didn't help. They were oddly amusing little terrors.

If she could will herself to, Raven would will away every trace of her feelings. Having them _complicated _and tainted everything. They skewed her relationship with the changeling, of course, but it also convoluted her dynamic within the team and her confidence in herself. The portions of her life that used to seem so mundane – like seating arrangements, and relaxing in the common room, and partner exercises while training – had become hazy and heavy. The empath's life and emotions were complex enough to begin with; adding an ever-increasing infatuation with the shape-shifter was an unnecessary addition to the equation.

Furthermore, she'd already mentally rendered the whole fiasco as pointless. Raven was too shy, too craven, too insecure, and too unsure about it all to thinking about pursuing it. If nothing else, the empath lived a very calculated lifestyle. If she couldn't qualify, quantify, or even comprehend her feelings towards the changeling, she wouldn't dare to make a move.

Raven wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ to. Beast Boy was infuriating. Beast Boy came off as immature, unpredictable, and air-headed. He kept his room an utter mess, and brought a tsunami of untidiness with him wherever he ventured. His interests varied wildly from hers. He was distracting. He was impatient. He was loud. And sometimes, he was _really_ _smelly_.

Most importantly, though, Raven knew that allowing herself to feel _anything_ too openly was dangerous on too many levels. Providing too much consideration toward the notion of her together with the green teen threatened to unleash minor explosions. Hell, if Beast Boy even flirted with her too outwardly, things tended to explode.

Snapping back to reality, Raven turned towards the changeling and looked at him warily. She'd never given deep consideration to the possibility of him returning her feelings. The empath had always deemed his behavior as, well, _friendly _at most.

As if on cue, Beast Boy met her eye contact. Dropping the driftwood into the fire, he began to release his grip on the sorceress and gave her shoulder a tender squeeze. "Hope you're not having a terrible night," he laughed somewhat weakly, fully liberating his arm from around her.

"Why would I be?" Raven asked in her usual monotone, noiselessly torn over whether she missed his touch or not.

"Ehhh, I dunno," the changeling shrugged, throwing his arms behind his head leaning back in the sand so that he was lying flat down on his back. "The movie sucked, you hate the beach, you hate noisy crowds, and you're stuck here with me." He turned his face up to her and flashed Raven a toothy grin.

The empath rolled her eyes. "If you're fishing for a compliment, you won't find one here," she replied.

Beast Boy laughed elatedly in response. "It's okay, Rae; you don't have to say it. I know exactly how awesome I am," he taunted. Raven shook her head at him and sighed in monotone, but his sharp eyes caught the subtle hints of a smirk behind her movement. Beast Boy grinned brightly to himself; forcing a smile out of the empath was still one of his favorite hobbies after all these years.

He relaxed his body in the sand and started contentedly towards the sky. Constellations somersaulted and blazed above him. "Rae," he called to the girl sitting next to him, grasping for her, "C'mere, you _gotta_ see these stars!"

"They're just stars, Beast Boy," Raven responded curtly, turning her face away from the fire to hide the carnation hue in her cheeks. She glanced at the changeling; despite the fact that his indigo tee shirt and khakis were now spotted with a million flecks of sand, he looked incredibly joyous reclining there. A part of her expected him to whine in protest of his request to stargaze.

Beast Boy opted for a different reaction. Propping himself up on his elbows, he turned to the empath, staring at her interestingly, before a notoriously crafty look crawled across his face. "You coming over here easy, or am I gonna have to force you?" he asked, his voice velvety and sprightful.

Raven's shoulders tensed immediately, unsure of how to progress. She shot him a stern glare, but otherwise remained motionless. Truth be told, the moths had returned and were now whirling around her insides. Years ago, with her impatience and temper, she'd have simply used her telekinesis to give the changeling an atomic wedgie or hurl him into the ocean. As she'd matured, however, she promised herself she'd make conscious efforts to refrain from utilizing her abilities in unfriendly ways.

Continuing in her attempt to conceal her blush, Raven's voice grew restrained and cold. "I'm the daughter of an inter-dimensional demon. I was born in another galaxy. We've traveled through space a dozen times. I've seen the stars before."

"Then come and hang out," the changeling offered without missing a beat. He was still propped up on his elbows facing the sky, and his voice was still conspicuously smooth. Beast Boy patted the sand to his left and smiled, gesturing for her to lie next to him.

Somewhere, Raven was sure a street lamp exploded. "I… _really _hate sand," she mumbled quietly in excuse. The moths in her belly had morphed into pterodactyls, and it had become impossible to secrete the growing blush that now spread across her entire face and down her body. _Should've just tossed him in the ocean_, she cursed to herself.

Beast Boy's ears twitched slightly. "I swear I don't bite," he laughed.

"I know, I just –"

"You're wearing jeans," the green teen interjected pointedly. His voice was tender. "And if you want, I can give you my tee to lay on or something so your nice shirt doesn't get all sandy."

Raven continued to stare at the changeling quietly and shyly, flattered that he cared this much about her joining him. Thinking back, he'd always been like this – trying to get her to participate and join in on activities – and she'd almost always refused. Decidedly and shamelessly, a vibrant pink hue donning her emotionless face, the sorceress stood from her seat. She removed her violet blouse, revealing a black tank top underneath, and laid down in the sand next to the changeling. Before pressing down her head, she placed her blouse underneath it to prevent sand from getting in her hair.

She turned to face Beast Boy, who was grinning wildly at her. "I'm surprised you don't actually mind hangin' out with me," he said cheekily. "And you're even okay with getting your clothes all sandy."

"Fuck sand," she replied, causing the green teen's smile to spread even further.

The chromatically challenged pair of heroes spend the remainder of the evening laying next to one-another in the sand, discussing the stars, the sky, and nothing interesting in particular. It was not until late – much later than they realized – that the empath and the changeling decided to call it a night and quit waiting up for their friends on the beach. The trip back to the White Sands resort was quick thanks to Raven's teleportation, and once they had returned, she entered her room promptly after a brisk 'goodnight' to her teammate.

The changeling stood outside the girls' hotel room with a grin plastered on his face for a longer moment than he'd ever admit.

* * *

Slowly and almost bitterly, the princess chuckled to herself. "What?" Robin asked, his voice soft as he recognized the obvious unhappiness scribbled across her entire being. They sat with their arms folded over their knees, right at the edge of the nighttime waves.

The hum of nostalgia filled up her bright bottle green eyes like extraterrestrial swimming pools as her stare met the acrobat's. "It is somewhat ironic that I am more skilled at expressing myself in words than you are, considering my inexperience with your planet's languages."

"I suck, don't I?" Robin asked rhetorically, his voice earnest and his face growing red despite the slight smile adorning his cheeks.

"Mmm," Starfire responded, an amused smirk fleeting across her lips before it fluttered away into the salty ocean air. She seemed distracted. _Then again_, Robin reasoned with himself, _she's seemed distracted for a while now_.

Her effervescence has disappeared months ago. The girl he'd fallen for fizzed with life and bubbled with excitement. "What's going on, Starfire?" he asked indelicately, and as her eyes met his, he could clearly see her confusion. Clearing his throat and rubbing the nape of his neck, he ranted on. "You… You're always so full of life, so happy… And I haven't seen that old spark in your eyes for a long time."

The princess remained quiet, though the look of confusion had dissipated. "Tamaraneans do not mask their emotions, Robin," she retorted gently, an absolute sadness present within her.

"Just because I don't know how to express myself doesn't mean you're not allowed to," the Boy Wonder said in return, irritation and guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders as he sat in the sand. Without much warning, a large wave crashed down on the shoreline in front of the two Titans, spraying the pair with flecks of crystalline liquid. The growingly-aggravated acrobat wiped the remnants of salt from his face as he continued. "Star, this is really… tough for me. And being spiteful isn't going to he–"

"Spiteful?" the princess repeated linguistically, her tone rising. The Boy Wonder held his breath as Starfire stood from her seated throne in the sand, angrily brushing the microscopic specks of the beach from her clothes. Momentarily, she clenched her fists, only to allow them to unravel a second later. When she turned to face the acrobat, her expression overflowed with sorrow.

"I am not being spiteful, Robin, and it is truly unfortunate that you think I am, for all I wish is to _understand_," she said, her voice cracking and sending shivers down the Boy Wonder's spine. She paused briefly, her eyes falling from Robin into the sand and reflexively watering in her hesitance. "You have always mentioned how difficult it is for you to express yourself, Dick, and it is something I have always attempted to understand. But you have never once considered the difficulty or the pain that this brings to the loved ones at your side."

Resting his head in his hand, Robin remained seated. "It isn't about you, Star. It's about me."

"It _was_ about you," she corrected. "It is surely not anymore!" Her voice sounded definitively indignant and hurt. Finally, it seemed, the Boy Wonder had struck a chord within the princess. He'd in actuality struck her chord so vigorously that it snapped from its pivots.

"You are my best friend, Robin, and you always have been. You know this. But when you and I became the 'boyfriend and girlfriend', my problems became yours, as yours became mine." She shook her head, inwardly furious at the way he allowed this to continue for so many years. Tears threatened to escape the sockets of her vibrant spring-colored orbs, but she refused to permit them the freedom. "Perhaps your inability to express yourself had been about you at the beginning, but the moment we began our relationship, it became about _us_. The moment it began to tear us apart and destroy our friendship, it grew into _our _issue."

By now, Robin had contorted his body in the sand in order to face her. Sadness and guilt took a heavy toll on his facial expression as her stared wide-eyed at the princess.

Meanwhile, Starfire hovered a few feet above where she had previously been standing in the sand. Her right fist was clenched tight around her shoes, which she had been carrying with her, and her left hand clutched at the skin above her heart. A heavy silence filled the space between the two as Starfire floated solemnly before Robin. She glared at him defiantly as he gawked at her speechlessly. The brisk wind whipped sand at their skin, but their eyes never left one-another's.

The princess inhaled sharply upon realizing that the Boy Wonder did not intend to respond. "And the moment you ceased in trying to express yourself at all, this became _my _issue, and mine alone."

"I don't know what you mean," Robin confessed crossly. He wanted to pull his hair out.

"It is maddening, grueling, and impossible to keep a relationship alive if I am by myself," Starfire nearly screamed back, sounding far sadder than angry.

The Boy Wonder gaped wordlessly back at her for a moment before responding. "Are you breaking up with me _again_? Star, we're not together. I don't need reminding. And I definitely don't need to be dumped twice to get it," he spat, wrathfully standing from his spot. He writhed as his heart broke for the second time that year.

"I am desperately requesting _closure!_" the princess shouted, extending her hands out at her sides as she hovered higher. The utterance stung at Robin, making him ache in a way he'd almost forgotten. "I do not want to wait any longer for a man who knows not what he wants. I _cannot_, for it pains me far too greatly," she breathed heavily, shaking her head. "You ask what happened to me; why I no longer harness or radiate the natural, unbridled joy of Tamaraneans?"

Robin looked at her expectantly and furiously, awaiting her to continue. Her harlequin eyes filled with daggers as she extended an accusatory hand toward the Boy Wonder, pointing at his chest. _You_, Dick – _this _is why! You have been keeping me in the "limbo" since I have done the breaking up with you. For an inconceivable amount of time, you have had me under the false impression that you would change."

"I _will_," Robin said, gritting his teeth, now screaming as well. His words were venomous and his blood boiled beneath his skin. "And I _am! _But your expectations are so damn high, and you want so much, and I'm clearly just not fucking good enough."

The words hung in the air, stinging at the princess's skin. "Do not swear at me," Starfire warned, her eyes glowing a dangerous, neon lime. "And do not give me more of the pathetic 'self-pity' or claim that I have unreasonable expectations in requesting affection… Especially as you exemplify a perfect capability to express emotions such as _anger _whenever you please." Starfire inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself as Robin exhaled a large sigh of exasperation.

"I'm sorry," he responded quietly, still visibly upset.

Starfire smiled solemnly and touched back down to the sandy earth. "I am sorry that I cannot fix us. I have tried so hard, time and time again… But your suppressed feelings have driven a wedge between us that I believe may be permanent."

The acrobat looked at the princess sadly. As usual, he wasn't sure what to say, but his heart ached. "I don't want it to be."

"And I, neither."

"So what can I do, Star?" Robin inquired genuinely and softly, taking her strong, amber-skinned hand in his. "What can I do to make things right?"

The wind whipped up again, sending shivers across the young girl's shoulders. "You must decide what you want, and then you must pursue it."

Such unbelievable sadness was in her springtime eyes that the Boy Wonder felt a hard lump form in his throat. It wrenched at his gut, threatening to make his lungs explode. Robin _hated _feeling exposed like this; hated feeling so vulnerable. Being in such a helpless position made his stomach coil.

"What if I don't know how to figure it out?" he asked, still clutching to the princess's hand. "What if I can't?"

Starfire shook her head in return, gently but sternly removing her hand from his. "I have been waiting for years for you to extend your feelings and affection, Robin. We are not children anymore; complimenting my starbolts will no longer suffice as meaningful, intimate expression." She hovered once more, returning her shoes to their rightful place upon her feet.

"But what if –"

"Dick," she interrupted, silencing him. "I do not have all of the answers. I only –"

Before she could continue, a short _bleep _came from her communicator as well as Robin's. She sighed, reaching for the spherical piece of technology. Each of the two Titans simultaneously and briskly checked their texts, reading the newly-received message from Raven alerting the couple that they'd left the fire on the beach and would be returning back to their rooms soon.

Starfire closed her communicator, having always been the slowest reader of the Titans. While Tamaraneans could learn languages vocally via quick lip contact, they had to learn to read and write as any other conventional beings. "I believe it would be best if I returned back to my room on my own," Starfire announced aloud to Robin before beginning to soar off.

"But Star," Robin called out, almost pleading her to stay. _Please_, he thought, _don't fly off before I can even say goodnight_.

However, when she turned to face him, he couldn't find the words he was looking for. He stuttered for a moment before blurting, "You were saying something? Before Raven's text..."

The princess flew back towards the Boy Wonder, making heavy eye contact with him while she remained silent. To Robin, it felt as if the princess was looking for something within his mask, and even the nighttime waves seemed to falter. After a few weighty moments of stillness, Starfire reached down to the acrobat's face, stroking it gently before planting a tender kiss on his right cheek.

"I cannot be in a relationship with a cutting man who cannot tell me whether or not I hold a place of significance in his heart."

Robin merely stared in return, seemingly unable to respond. The princess waved, tears once against threatening to outflow, and ascended into the dusky sky in return to the White Sands resort.

* * *

Somewhere far off the western coast of the United States of America, a smirking dark figure lounged contentedly in his swirling armchair. Sneering and cackling to himself in an ominous, psychotic manner, he peered at the large digital clock displayed on the ceiling above him.

It read _2:18 A.M._ Upon sight, the menacing figure cackled in a lower tone and more deviously. "A late night for our Titans, isn't it?"

"Things are not moving according to schedule," another voice called into the darkness. The first man, visibly irritated at the intrusion, ceased his cackling as the new figured continued. "You had initially intended your plan to be implemented by no later than the fourth day. We're severely behind schedule."

The figure growled deeply within his armchair, pivoting away from the window and towards the second man. His voice dripped of distinctive malice and cruelty. "I am well aware of the time."

Clearing his voice, the dark figure slumped in his chair and began to cackle lowly once more. "You must have _patience_," the first figure scolded after he ceased with his devious, howling laughter. As he continued, the words plummeted off his tongue with such venom and loathing it could have made a person's skin crawl.

"Everything is moving exactly as it should."

* * *

Please review, friends. Provide me with whatever you'd like, be it a critique, suggestions, or compliment. It really motivates me to keep writing when I've had a long day.


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